When Life Gives You Lemons
by Fabulous Cars Crazy Fudge
Summary: Fudge, Radiator Springs's resident human couldn't be more excited to be jetting off across the globe with her family for the World Grand Prix. But then things start to get insane. Why are some Lemons trying to sabotage the race? Why do people think she and Mater are spies? Who is this "Big Boss"? Who is this human woman stalking Fudge? Read on and find out. My OC, Fudge, in Cars 2.
1. McQueen's Back!

**Ka-chow! Hi there, fellow _Cars_ fans! Here is my new story, which I'll be working on alongside _Tales from Radiator Springs_ and _Vacation Crashers_! If you're reading this, then you're probably familiar with my OC, Fudge. If not, she is a human girl, who was born and raised in Radiator Springs (in my fics, humans and vehicles live in the same universe). She was adopted by Luigi and Guido**

 **There's also gonna be a new OC in this one. I realised that although in my fics, I have it as a human and vehicle shared universe, Fudge is the only human OC in the ones I've published. That's part of the reason I decided to put another human OC in this fic. There is another reason, but I don't wanna give it away. :)**

 **Disclaimer: I think you already know, as much as it pains me to say it, that I do not own _Cars_ or _Cars 2_. So far, all I own in this one is Fudge and this new human OC.**

 **So, I sincerely hope you enjoy...**

 **When Life Gives You Lemons**

 **Chapter 1- McQueen's Back!**

"Fudge!" a familiar southern accent called into the ear of the human girl. " **FUDGE!** "

"Mmmpph..." she mumbled, irritated to find a familiar, rusty, dented, buck-toothed tow truck in front of her. " _What_?!"

"You done fell asleep!"

Fudge rolled over to face away from Mater. "I was tired..."

Mater rolled her back over. "But we ain't done havin' fun!"

" _I_ am! I'm _tired_!" Fudge groaned

As much as she wanted to sleep, Fudge _did_ feel sorry for Mater. His best friend, Lightning McQueen, had been away at racing events for several weeks and the tow truck really missed him. Now, Fudge was filling in for him on Mater's many adventures, which was how she ended up in his junkyard for a sleepover. It was a job took a lot out of the eleven-year-old, but it wouldn't have been so bad if Mater would just _let her sleep_!

"C'mon, Fudge!" Mater shook her again. "We ain't done havin' fun yet!"

" _Fine_!" she sighed. "What are we doing now?!"

"Mater, _no_!" Fudge groaned when she realised where they were. The tractor field.

"C'mon, Fudge! Tractor tippin's fun!" the tow truck insisted.

"Mater! I just wanna go to bed!" the human girl in his truck bed, still half asleep, whined.

"But we is gotta have _fun_!"

"Can't it wait till morning?!"

"No!"

Well, Fudge was just about falling asleep again anyway. She woke up a few seconds later to the loud sound of Mater honking his horn and bolted up immediately.

"I'm awake!" she shouted.

But Mater wasn't paying any attention to her. He was too busy watching, with great glee, the mooing tractor as it tipped over. When it backfired, the tow truck burst out laughing.

"Tractors sure is dumb!" he declared.

"Okay, let's go home", Fudge yawned.

"But we ain't done!" Mater protested. "That was only one tractor!"

" _Mater_!" Fudge groaned. Personally, as funny as it was, she thought that tractor tipping was cruel and kinda dangerous. Sometimes, she'd be willing to humour him, but not at... What time _was_ it?

"One more!" he promised. "One more!"

Fudge didn't know why she agreed to it when she knew that it would be more than one more (it always was with Mater). But at any rate, she did. There was no way she was getting back to sleep now. So, she got out of Mater's truck bed and laughed with him as one by one, the tractors toppled over.

"See?!" Mater shouted, still hysterical from the latest tractor he'd tipped over. "You _love_ tractor tippin'!"

Fudge just stuck her tongue out at him.

But that was when they'd heard it. That familiar noise that they never wanted to hear while tractor tipping.

"That's Frank!" Mater announced and took off.

"Mater!" Fudge shrieked. "You forgot me!"

He didn't hear her. And the combine harvester was heading straight for her! The human girl tried to run, but Frank was much faster than her. She was pretty fast, but her energy never lasted long and, of course, vehicles are much faster than humans.

"MATER!" she screamed hysterically.

"Grab on!" his voice called from somewhere in front of Fudge as something moved closer to her. It was his tow hook. Fudge obeyed, grabbing hold of it and he reeled her in.

"Thanks, Mater!" she panted gratefully when she got close enough to get up and jump in his truck bed.

But Frank was still after them.

"Mater, hurry!" Fudge yelled.

"We is almost at the fence!" he assured her.

Sure enough, a second later, she could hear Mater hit the wooden fence. Frank still glared at the two as they sped off back to town. They were safe! For now.

Mater was satisfied that tractor tipping had woken Fudge up a little bit. So, they continued with some board games, movies on the portable DVD player that Fudge had brought over and helped get the surprises Mater had for Lightning's return ready. Fudge was sure that Lightning was going to love what Mater had planned. It wasn't long before the sun began to rise and they heard the reveille and the electric guitar across the street.

" **WILL YOU TURN THAT DISRESPECTFUL JUNK OFF?!** " came Sarge's voice.

"Respect the classics, man!" Fillmore called back. "It's Hendrix!"

Fudge gave a half amused, half annoyed groan. " _Every_ morning!"

"Yeah!" Mater grinned at her.

"Well, we better get over to Flo's."

"Yeah", Mater repeated.

The first thing Fudge did when she arrived at Flo's was run over to her fathers and hug them. Guido and Luigi loved Fudge more than they loved Ferraris and tyres combined (and if you knew them, you'd know that that was _really_ saying something) and she loved them back just as much. They were the ones who had found her mother in labour just outside of town and helped her get to Doc's. And when her mother had abandoned her only hours after her birth, they were the ones who had taken her in and loved her as their own. Even though Fudge had technically been an orphan her entire life, thanks to Luigi and Guido (well, everyone in town, really, but mostly those two), she'd _never_ felt like one. She would always be grateful to them for that.

"Did you have fun last night?" Luigi wanted to know.

She nodded, yawning. "But we stayed up late last night and I'm really tired."

"Do you want to go home and get some sleep?" Luigi asked.

Fudge nodded again.

The eleven-year-old slept for a couple of hours, but woke up to the sound of a big horn blaring. That could only be Mack, Lightning's driver. So, that meant... Fudge leapt out of bed, not caring at all that she was still in pyjamas (nobody else would probably care anyway) and tore outside to find the truck there with his trailer door opening to reveal... Lightning!

Immediately, the whole town began to swarm him. Except for one. Mater was absent. Apparently, he had been called out to tow poor Otis, the Lemon car, into town for the tenth time that month. That was an advantage for everyone else because, with Mater not around, it meant that they all got the chance to greet Lightning (because let's face it; had Mater been there, he'd be first in line!).

"Oh, Lightning!" Luigi exclaimed. "Welcome home!"

"It's good to have you back, honey!" Flo declared.

"Congratulations, man!" Fillmore added.

"Welcome home, soldier!" Sarge greeted him.

"The place wasn't the same without you, son", Sheriff chimed in.

"What?" Lizzie asked, confused. "Did he go somewhere?"

"It's good to be home, everybody!" the now-four-time Piston Cup champion announced to his friends.

Fudge ran to him for a hug. "I missed you!" she informed him.

"Hey, Fudge-O!" Lightning returned the greeting. "I missed you too!"

"Really?"

"Yeah! And I got a surprise for you, remember?"

Fudge did remember. Due to being on the road a lot and attending races, Lightning had missed Fudge's eleventh birthday not too long ago. The human girl had been upset about that until Lightning promised her that he was bringing back a big surprise for her.

"What is it?! What is it?!" she demanded, jumping up and down in anticipation.

Lightning revealed a shiny, dark blue bag. Blue was Fudge's favourite colour. "Open it and you'll find out! Happy late birthday, Fudge!"

So, Fudge took the bag to from him to reveal... a Nintendo Wii!

"You and Mater seem to love playing with the one in my trailer", he explained. "So, I figured you could do with one of your own while I'm away at races."

"Awesome! Thank you!"

"And _this_ is to go with it!" He handed her another wrapped present.

" _Wii Sports_! Cool!" Fudge exclaimed, holding up the game for everyone else to see. The eleven-year-old gave him the biggest hug she could muster. "Thank you! This is awesome!"

Lightning smiled at her, hugging her back. "No problem, Fudge. I'm glad you like it."

Fudge returned the smile. It had been five years since he first arrived in Radiator Springs. She had been five, going on six, at the time and so, she didn't remember it as well as the other residents. However, she _did_ remember what a colossal jerk he'd been and had witnessed him transform over the week that he was in Radiator Springs. Like everyone else, she was so happy when he decided to make Radiator Springs his permanent home. For more reasons than one.

You see, about six months before Lightning had shown up, a bunch of social workers came to town. They believed that Fudge would be better off growing up in a larger town where she could have more contact with humans. Of course, the townsfolk were devastated, but there was nothing that they could do. On her sixth birthday, she was being transferred to an orphanage in Wisconsin. They needed Radiator Springs back on the map to let her stay, but, of course, everyone thought that _that_ would take a miracle. Nobody expected Lightning McQueen to be that miracle. But he was. He was _her_ miracle.

Fudge was snapped out of her thoughts by the sound of another horn. Everyone turned around to see...

" **MATER!** " Lightning called.

" **MCQUEEN!** " Mater hollered. He was so excited to see his best friend that he had forgotten all about Otis, who was being bounced up and down and flung all over the place.

" **MATER!** " Lightning yelled again.

" **MCQUEEN!** " Mater skidded to a stop, flinging Otis off to the side and sending him spinning into Ramone's. Fudge couldn't help laughing. It was pretty funny.

"McQueen! Welcome back!" the tow truck greeted his best friend as the two bumped tyres repeatedly.

"Mater, it's so good to see you!" Lightning remarked.

"You too, buddy!" Mater responded. "Oh, man! You ain't gonna _believe_ the things I've got planned for us!"

"Boy, these best friend greetings, they get longer every year!" Mack commented.

"I'm so glad Lightning's back!" Fudge proclaimed to the others. "That way, Mater has someone else besides me to annoy!" Then she laughed to show that she was kidding.

"You ready to have some serious fun?" Mater quizzed Lightning.

"Well, actually, I've got something to show you first", Lightning informed him.

"What is it?!" Fudge questioned. As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she realised that it was probably none of her business, but she was curious.

"Come and see if you want", Lightning offered. "It's not exactly a secret or anything."

"Okay!" Fudge agreed and was about to run off when Guido stopped her, suggesting that he took the bag from her. "Yeah, good idea", she admitted, handing it over.

" _Fudge_ got a present?" Mater asked, sounding a little hurt.

"That's Fudge's birthday present", Lightning explained and Mater seemed to accept that.

"Mater! I got a Wii!" Fudge announced. "It's so cool! Now, we can play whenever we want! Even when Lightning's at races."

Lightning laughed. "That's right. And either later today or tomorrow, I'll come over and help you set it up, Fudge-O. Sound good?"

She nodded. "Okay!" Then she leapt onto Lightning's hood as he and Mater made their way over to what was once Doc Hudson's clinic. Now, it was the Doc Hudson Racing Museum.

It wasn't long before Fudge was standing in the room she was born in eleven years ago, staring at the golden Piston Cup trophy with a sculpture of Doc over the top of the cup part. Everyone in town missed Doc a lot and the human girl was no exception. Plus, she hadn't really dealt with his death all that well and still felt guilty about it. A year on, it was still difficult not seeing the car who had delivered her and been like a grandfather to her every day, but she was healing from it slowly.

"Wow!" Mater exclaimed. "I can't believe they renamed the Piston Cup after our very own Doc Hudson!"

"Me neither", Fudge murmured softly.

Lightning rolled over to a large newspaper clipping with a photo of Doc on it and gazed at it sadly. "I know Doc said these things were just old cups, but... to have someone else win it just didn't feel right, you know?"

There was a pause. Fudge hung her head guiltily, remembering her reaction to Doc's death and thinking about just how much she missed him.

"Well, Doc would've been real proud of you", Mater broke the silence. "That's for sure."

"Yeah", Fudge agreed.

Lightning gave them both a small smile.

"I'm gonna go home now", Fudge announced when the three of them filed out of Doc's old clinic. "I'll see you guys later."

"All right", both cars agreed. "See you later, Fudge."

As Fudge took off down Main Street, Lightning turned back to Mater. "All right, pal. I've been waiting all summer for this. What have you got planned?"

"Ho, ho, ho!" Mater laughed. "You sure you can handle it?"

"Come on. You know who you're talking to? This is _Lightning McQueen_!" the race car reminded him. "I can handle anything!"

Fudge had overheard him and groaned. "Oh, boy!"

 **So, there's the first chapter. I didn't wanna just get straight into the movie, so I added some little fillers, but I had little to no ideas for this one. I hope future chapters will be more interesting.**

 **Just so you guys know, I was planning on including Doc's death as a three-part story in _Tales From Radiator Springs_ , so keep an eye out for that. It'll explain how not-so-well Fudge handles his death.**

 **Fun Fact : Despite being based off me, Fudge has a different birthday to me. Her birthday is June 16th. Now, I know what you're thinking and no. Believe it or not, the reason I chose this date has nothing to do with the release of _Cars 3_. I came up with this birthday back in... 2014, I think it was and I chose June 16th because that's... National Fudge Day! XD**

 **Reviews, anybody? If you give me a review, I'll be your best friend.**


	2. At the Wheel Well

**Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed chapter one. Here is chapter two. I hope you all enjoy it.**

 **Chapter 2- At the Wheel Well**

"Boy, this was the best day ever!" Mater exclaimed happily as he and Lightning drove down Main Street at the end of the day. Both of them were covered from roof to tyre in dust. "And my favourite souvenir; this new dent." He showed it off proudly.

"Boy, Mater, today was, uh…" Lightning began, not sure how to word what he was about to say, knowing that his best friend probably wouldn't like it.

"Shoot, that was nothin'!" Mater declared. "Wait'll you see what I got planned for tonight!"

"Mater, Mater, whoa. I was kind of thinking of just a quiet dinner."

"Hey! That's exactly what I was thinkin'!"

"No. I meant with Sally, Mater."

"Even better! You, me and Miss Sally goin' out fer supper!"

Lightning pulled out in front of the tow truck. "Mater, I meant it would be just me and Sally", he explained.

"Oh…" Mater lowered his hood, his tow hook drooping, unable to hide his disappointment.

"You know, just for tonight." Lightning spoke gently to his best friend in a tone he'd normally use with Fudge. "We'll do whatever you want tomorrow", he added while Mater was still hesitating.

"Uh… okay", Mater caved.

"Thanks for understanding."

"Yeah, sure. Y'all go on and have fun now."

"All right then. See you soon, amigo." He drove off to wash himself clear of dust and find Sally while Mater stared at the ground sadly.

However, it wasn't long before the tow truck lightened up. He had an idea.

"Lightning!" Fudge exclaimed, running forward to the stock car.

"Hey, Fudge-O!"

"Now that you're done with Mater, do you think maybe you could come over now and help me set up my Wii?" she asked hopefully.

There was a moment of hesitation.

"I would _love_ to, Fudge", he began sympathetically, "but I... kinda got a date with Sally."

"Oh. Okay." The human girl tried to hide her disappointment, but she knew she wasn't doing a very good job.

Why? Because Lightning told her, "Tell you what, sweetie. I promised Mater we'd do whatever he wanted tomorrow, but I'll find some time to come over and do that for you." Lightning only ever called Fudge sweetie when he knew she was upset.

"You promise?" Fudge questioned.

"I promise."

"Okay."

"Okay", Lightning echoed, kissing the top of her head and driving off.

"I love you!" Fudge hollered after him.

"Love you too!" he called back.

* * *

When Radiator Springs made it back on to the map, not only did that bring a flurry of customers and activity to the town, but many of the old businesses were reopened. Including the historic Wheel Well Motel. And that was where everyone in Radiator Springs as well as a bunch of tourists gathered that evening.

Fudge had arrived with Luigi, Guido, Sarge and Fillmore to the sound of rummaging in the back room.

"What _is_ that?" the human girl wondered.

"I don't know", the four adult male vehicles replied.

"I'll go check it out!" Fudge offered, sneaking into the back room before any of the others could object.

The eleven-year-old was nervous when she approached the door to the back room and heard the noises of items crashing to the floor. _What_ was in there? Was it an animal? Or a burglar? Fudge began looking around to see if there was anything she could use as a potential weapon, should she get into trouble. But then she heaved a massive sigh of relief when she heard someone shout, "Dad-gum!"

"Mater." Fudge opened the door. "What are you _doing_ in here?"

The tow truck turned around and the human could see that he was wearing a bow tie license plate. "Oh! Hey, Fudge!" He looked around the room, embarrassed. "I was jus', uh... lookin' for trays."

"Why?" Fudge asked curiously.

"I need to be a waiter!"

"Why?" Fudge repeated.

"I wanted to show McQueen my surprise", Mater explained, "but he done said he was goin' out fer dinner with Miss Sally! Bein' a waiter was the only way I could hang out wit' 'im."

Fudge tried not to laugh. Only Mater would come up with something like that. Still, she knew that Lightning meant a lot to Mater and if _she_ had a best friend (she'd never _really_ had one, but she considered all of the townsfolk her best friends), she'd wanna spend as much time as possible with him or her. So, she decided to go along with it.

Fudge found a tray and handed it to Mater. "I think this is what you're looking for."

"Thanks, Fudge."

"And you need a cloth. I'll go find one."

It took about two minutes for Fudge to unearth a white cloth out of the mess that Mater had created in the back room (Fudge sure hoped that _she_ didn't have to clean it up).

"There you go!"

"Thanks, Fudge", Mater repeated, speeding off to get ready for Lightning and Sally's arrival.

Fudge followed to find Sally and Lightning arriving at the restaurant and approached the _very_ happy couple as they pulled up to the restaurant. She realised that _she'd_ missed Lightning too and also wanted to spend time with him. So, if Mater was gonna be a waiter, Fudge was gonna have a job at the Wheel Well too.

"Table for two?" she asked innocently.

Sally blinked. "Fudge? Since when did _you_ work here?"

Fudge's face took on an official look. "I'll have you know that I have been working here for almost one minute."

The Porsche laughed. "Right... Well, congratulations!"

"Thank you... Table for two?"

"Yes please", Lightning answered.

"And do you have a reservation?"

Lightning struggled not to laugh at the professionalism exhibited by the eleven-year-old. It seemed that she'd been watching _way_ too much TV while he was gone. She _looked_ far from professional dressed in a dark purple _SpongeBob_ T-shirt ( _SpongeBob_ was one of Fudge's favourite TV shows), pink camouflage pants and turquoise and lavender running shoes, but she was sure _acting_ it.

"We sure do", he replied. "It should be under the name McQueen."

Fudge nodded. "Right this way."

"Is there any outdoor seating available?" Sally wanted to know as she and her boyfriend followed the "maître d'".

"Yep. Right here." Fudge indicated to the nearest outdoor table.

"Well, thank you, Fudge", Lightning began when they reached the table, "but I think you have other customers."

"Do you need anything else?"

"No, no!" Lightning assured her. "You've done more than enough to help. Thank you."

Fudge smiled and left to try and join the others inside.

"What about your other customers?" Lightning called to her.

"I'm taking a break!" Fudge hollered back.

Sally and Lightning laughed as Fudge left.

"So, now that we're alone", Lightning began, "why don't we-"

"Excuse me?" A shy little red Beetle rolled up to Lightning and Sally's table. "Lightning McQueen?"

"I'm sorry", the race car stopped him, trying to be polite about it. "I don't mean to be rude, but we're... kind of in the middle of a private conversation here."

The Beetle nodded. "I understand", he replied. "And _I_ don't mean to be rude either, but... You're... kinda sitting at _our_ table."

"Oh! Sorry!" Lightning apologised as he and Sally drove off to find a new table.

It took a while, but finally, the champion race car and his girlfriend were settled at a table right by the valley where they could watch the sunset.

Lightning rolled his eyes. "Fudge. What _was_ she doing?" He shook his hood. "Still, at least _here_ we get a nice view."

"Ah! This is so nice!" Sally declared a few minutes later. They'd just been sat in silence, gazing out at the view of the sunset.

"I can't tell you how good it is to be here alone", Lightning declared when they looked back at each other. "Just the two of us. Finally, you and me."

Someone behind them cleared their throat. "Good evenin'", a familiar tow truck began formally. "My name is Mater and I'll be your waiter." He laughed. "Mater the waiter. That's funny right there."

"Mater", Lightning chuckled. "You work here?" He and Sally exchanged a puzzled, concerned glance. First Fudge, now Mater. What _were_ they up to?

"Well, yeah, I work here!" he responded. "What you think? I just snuck in here when nobody was lookin' and pretended to be your waiter, just so I could hang out wit' ya?"

The other two laughed. "Oh, yeah. How ridiculous would _that_ be?" Lightning asked.

"Now", Mater continued, "can I start you two lovebirds off with a couple of drinks?"

"Yes", Lightning responded. "I'll have my usual."

"You know what? I'm gonna have that too."

Mater was stumped. He had no idea what Lightning's "usual" was. He'd have to find out.

"Uh... right. Your... usual."

He sped off, leaving Lightning laughing behind him.

 **Again, this is just a filler chapter. It was supposed to include the next scene from the movie, but it got too long and so, I decided to make that a separate chapter. Besides, like I said, I don't wanna dive straight into the movie. The other thing I don't wanna do is just have stuff from the movie and nothing original. I want to include as many scenes as possible not in the movie (I'm aiming for at least one a chapter, but I'm not sure if I can) just so you guys aren't thinking, "What's the point of reading this? I've seen** ** _Cars 2_** **." The idea of making Fudge the maître d' was just something that came to me randomly.**

 **Also, just so you know, Fudge now has a last name. I decided to make Guido's last name Rossi and Luigi's Topolino (like his aunt and uncle), making my OC Fudge Rossi-Topolino. After all, she** ** _is_** **their daughter. Thanks to anybody who suggested anything.**

 **Hope to see you all soon for chapter three!**


	3. Taking the World By Storm!

**Hi, guys! Here is chapter three. I hope you enjoy it.**

 **Just before we begin, you may know this if you've read other works by me, but if not, I'll explain it now. If a quote is in brackets like this: "(Insert text here)", X said, it means that the quote is supposed to be said in Italian. Since I don't speak Italian and Google Translate is not the most reliable source, I just don't bother to translate it.**

 **Chapter 3- Lightning McQueen, Taking the World By Storm!**

"Hi! I'm back!" Fudge greeted Luigi, Guido, Sarge and Fillmore when she sat down at the bar inside the restaurant. Guido was behind the counter, gathering ingredients to make drinks for the others.

All four of them greeted her warmly and Luigi kissed her.

"Where have you been?" Luigi wanted to know.

Fudge just smiled. "Working."

"What work?" Sarge quizzed her.

"It's a secret."

He gave a small smile. "Right..."

Meanwhile, Guido had just finished mixing the drinks for the other three vehicles and was passing them out along with straws.

"Thanks, man!" Fillmore called.

" _Grazie_ , Guido!" Luigi took a sip.

"(Fudge, I will find some soda or something for you to drink)", Guido offered.

The eleven-year-old nodded. " _Grazie_."

But before he could move, Mater came zooming in.

"How's it going?" Fudge questioned, referring to his "job" as a waiter.

"I gotta find out McQueen's usual!" he replied breathlessly.

Fudge shrugged. "Oh, well, _I_ don't know what it is."

"Guido!" Mater shouted. "What's McQueen's usual?!"

"(How should I know?)" Guido responded in Italian.

However, Mater didn't understand, responding with, "Perfect! Give me two of them!"

Fudge, who spoke Italian fluently, was about to correct him when Sarge barked at the tow truck, "Quiet! My program's on!"

Fudge glanced up to see _The Mel Dorado Show_ on TV and she let everyone know exactly what she thought of it.

"Bor- _ring_!" she sang, for which she was rewarded with a dirty look from Sarge.

The guest appearing on _this_ show was a green Range Rover, who Mel introduced as Sir Miles Axlerod, an oil billionaire, who had recently sold his oil fortune and devoted his life to creating the alternative fuel of the future.

"This is so _boring_!" Fudge declared from her spot between Luigi and Mater.

"Fudge!" Sarge scolded her. "I don't care how boring you think this is! _I_ am trying to _listen_!"

"Now, he claims to have done it", Mel Dorado explained, "with his Allinol. And to show the world what his new super fuel can do, he's created a racing competition like no other, inviting the greatest champions from around the globe to battle in the first-ever World Grand Prix."

 _Now_ , Fudge was interested. With the amount of time she'd spent around Lightning and Doc, an interest in racing was pretty much inevitable for her.

However, Sir Miles Axlerod was mainly talking about the alternative fuel, which was still brain-numbingly boring to Fudge. Until they jumped live to Rome, Italy ("Been there, been there!" Fudge had sung proudly) to interview one of the competitors in the World Grand Prix, Francesco Bernoulli. Fudge had seen him on TV before, but didn't think much of him. In fact, from what she'd seen, he was pretty full of himself and kind of a jerk.

Which he proved by his first words of the interview, which were, "It is an honour, _Signore_ Dorado. For _you_."

"Miles, why not invite Lightning McQueen?" Mel suggested.

"What?" That got the attention of the five guys around Fudge and the human herself.

"Yeah!" Fudge cried as if this was her _own_ injustice.

"Of _course_ we invited him", Axlerod explained, "but apparently, after his very long racing season, he is taking some time off to rest."

Fudge nodded, understanding. "Oh, yeah, that makes sense."

As much as Lightning loved racing (which was a lot), he always looked forward to returning to Radiator Springs to relax and spend time with his family and friends.

 _Besides_ , Fudge reminded herself with a smile, _it means we all get to spend more time with_ _him_. The thought made her happy. Especially when she remembered that he promised to come over and help set up her Wii.

"Lightning McQueen would not have a chance against Francesco", the Italian formula car declared. "I can go over three hundred kilometres an hour. In miles, that is like, uh..." He paused, trying to figure it out, but was clearly unable to. "W- way faster than McQueen."

"Let's go to the phones!" Mel announced.

Those words made Mater shoot off for some reason. Fudge was the only one who noticed that he'd gone. Where was he going? She had no idea until...

"Let's go to Radiator Springs", came Mel's voice after an unsuccessful call with Baltimore, Maryland. "You're on, caller."

"Yeah, that Italian feller you got on there can't talk that way about Lightnin' McQueen", a familiar voice began. "He's the best-est race car in the whole wide world!"

Everyone looked to see that Mater was no longer next to Fudge. When they saw where he was, they all got a bad feeling.

"Uh-oh..." Sarge murmured softly, turning his attention back to the TV along with everyone else around him.

Fudge, however, thought that it was nice that Mater was calling in to defend his best friend. She just didn't want Francesco to be a jerk towards the tow truck, but, knowing him, he probably would be.

"If he is, uh, how you say, 'the best-est race car', then why must he rest, huh?" Francesco wanted to know.

"'Cause he knows what's important!" Mater shot back. "Every now and then, he prefers just to slow down, enjoy life."

"Ah! You heard it!" Francesco shouted. "Lightning McQueen prefers to be slow! Of course, this is not news to Francesco! When I want to go to sleep, I watch one of his races. After two laps, I am out! Cold!"

The crowd narrowed their eyes at the Formula One car on the screen. Fudge blew a raspberry at the TV.

"That ain't what I meant!" Mater informed him.

Fudge got up and walked away, not really wanting to listen to any more of Francesco's crap. She squeezed past the cars and, on her way out, she bumped into Lightning and Sally, who had just come inside to see what the large crowd was all about and why they had heard several gasps.

"Fudge? What's going on?" Lightning asked the human girl.

Before Fudge could answer, Lightning noticed who was on the TV. "That's that Italian formula car", he noted. "His name is-"

"Francesco Bernoulli", Sally cut in, rolling the Rs. "No wonder there's a crowd!" she added.

"Wait, why do you know his name?" Lightning quizzed her. "And don't say it like that! It's three syllables, not _ten_!"

"What?!" Sally cried defensively. "He's... nice to look at. You know, open-wheeled and all."

"What's wrong with fenders?" her boyfriend wanted to know.

"Nothing!" the Porsche answered hurriedly.

"I thought you liked my fenders." He looked to Fudge, trying to see what _she_ thought.

The eleven-year-old raised her arms defensively. "Hey! Don't look at me! I just work here!" She walked off, trying to get back to her fathers. However, she made a pit stop by the phone to help Mater out.

"Well, let me tell you somethin' else there, Mr. San Francisco!" Mater went on, his voice ringing out on the TV inside the restaurant and Lightning just realised that his best friend's voice was on the TV. "McQueen could drive circles around you!"

"Yeah!" Fudge yelled into the phone. She blew another raspberry.

"Driving in circles is all he can do, no?" Francesco asked, ignoring Fudge.

"No! I mean, yes..." Poor Mater was getting confused. "I mean, he could beat you anywhere! Any time, any track!"

"That's right!" Fudge added. "Lightning is the best!"

"Mel, can we move on?" a bored-sounding Italian formula car requested. "Francesco needs a caller who can provide a little more intellectual stimulation. Like a dump truck."

Fudge had no idea what that meant, but she heard a couple of gasps and noticed her family's eyes widen in horrified disbelief. So, she knew it was most definitely _not_ a compliment (not that she was expecting it to be after everything Francesco had said). Why was he being such a jerk to her brother?

"Ha-ha!" Mater jeered. "That shows what _you_ know! Dump trucks is dumb!"

That was when someone had grabbed his tow hook and flung him out of the booth.

"Hey! Whoa!" the tow truck exclaimed.

It was Lightning.

"Fudge, get out", he instructed not unkindly. "I need to talk to Francesco. Why don't you go find Luigi?"

"Okay", the human girl agreed, knowing that when someone suggested that she goes to find Guido or Luigi, it meant that they wanted to get rid of her. Before she left, she had final words for Francesco. "This isn't over, jerk!" Then she ran off, back to the others, allowing Lightning to get on the phone.

"Yeah, hi. This is Lightning McQueen."

"The Lightning McQueen, huh?" Francesco echoed.

"Look, I don't appreciate my best friend being insulted like that."

"McQueen? That was your best friend? Oh!" Francesco asked in mock sympathy. "This is the difference between you and Francesco. Francesco knows how good he is. He does not need to surround himself with tow trucks to prove it."

"Yeah, those are strong words from a car that is so fragile!" McQueen countered.

" **FRAGILE!** " Francesco exploded. "He calls-a Francesco fragile! Not-a so fast, McQueen!"

"Not so fast?" Lightning teased. "What is that? Your new motto?"

" _Ohhhh_!" Fudge exclaimed. "You just got _owned_ , Francesco!"

"Motto?!" Francesco repeated before letting loose a string of furious Italian.

Fudge, understanding what he was saying, laughed. He was _mad_!

"Well", Sir Miles Axlerod intervened finally as Francesco's microphone was cut off, "this sounds like something that needs to be settled on the racecourse. What do you say, Lightning McQueen? We've still got room for one more racer."

"Well, I would love to", Lightning answered, "but the only thing is my crew's off for the season, so..."

He trailed off, glancing over at his friends. Ramone had made a banner quickly, reading Team Lightning McQueen. Guido popped the corks off three bottles lightning-fast. Fudge raised her fists in the air and balanced on one foot in a cheerleading pose (after all, she _was_ the Team McQueen cheerleader). Lightning had a crew right there.

"Peet stop!" Guido announced.

"You know what?" Lightning declared into the phone. "They just got back. Deal me in, baby!"

And there was much rejoicing. The whole crowd erupted into cheers and a couple of whistles. However, Lightning turned to his girlfriend apologetically.

"I know, I know. I just got back", he began before she could say anything. "But we won't be long and-"

"Oh, no! Don't worry about _me_!" she assured him hurriedly. "I mean. I've got enough to do here. Mater's gonna have a blast, though."

Lightning hesitated.

"You're bringing Mater, right?" Sally asked. "You never bring him to any of your races."

Lightning cast a doubtful glance at the tow truck as he took a sip from the drink he was supposed to be delivering to Lightning. He tried to swallow, but he couldn't, leaving his only option to spit it out back into the glass. Fudge giggled, making a face.

"Just let him sit in the pits", Sally suggested, "give him a headset. Come on. It'll be the thrill of a lifetime for him."

Mater approached his best friend. "Your drink, sir."

"Mater", Lightning began.

"I didn't taste it!" Mater cried defensively.

But Lightning had something else on his mind. "How'd you like to come and see the world with me?" he offered.

Mater's eyes widened as if he'd just been offered a million dollars. "You _mean_ it?!" he gasped.

"Yeah!" Lightning chuckled. "You got me into this thing! You're coming along!"

"All right!" his best friend cheered.

"Hey, Fudge-O!" Lightning called. "You in?!" He knew she would be. Despite her devotion to Radiator Springs and being a bit of a homebody, Fudge _did_ love to travel. She had been to Italy with Luigi and Guido a couple of times and to Mexico once with a bunch of the others and loved both destinations. Besides, as much as she loved the rest of the townsfolk, Fudge was strongly dependent on Luigi and Guido and they _had_ to go. They were the tyre experts.

The human girl grinned. "Well, I guess I could take some time off work."

The race car rolled his eyes, but he had a grin to match Fudge's. "Fudge, you know you don't _actually_ work here."

Fudge didn't respond. She just kept smiling.

"Wow!" Mater exclaimed. "I can't believe we is goin'!"

"Yeah!" Fudge agreed, blue eyes lighting up. "It's gonna be _awesome_! We'll be jetting off across the globe and watching you kick bumper in this race!"

Lightning's smiled. "That's the hope." Then, seeming to have forgotten about what Mater had done, he took a sip of his drink.

Fudge made a face. "That's just gross!"

 **So, Fudge is joining Team McQueen for the World Grand Prix. I think it was obvious that that was gonna happen, but now, it means that their adventure is about to begin. And they have** ** _no_** **idea what they're in for.**

 **Well, that's gonna have to wait till next time. See you later. Fudge.**


	4. From Radiator Springs to Tokyo

**Sup, guys? Here's chapter four. I was gonna save it till I finished updating** ** _Vacation Crashers_** **, but I figured since I've finished** ** _writing_** **that story, I might as well get this up now. Hope you like it. :)**

 **Chapter 4: From Radiator Springs to Tokyo**

Team McQueen worked day and night to get ready for the big competition. Luigi and Guido, with some help from Fudge, got his tyres ready while Ramone gave Lightning a new paint job, consisting of logos for the Hudson Hornet Piston Cup, WGP (World Grand Prix) and Allinol along with the American flag. On top of that, the champion racer (finally!) got real headlights! Since the races wouldn't be taking place on traditional racetracks, but rather the city streets and countryside in Tokyo, Japan; Porto Corsa, Italy and London, England with the Japan race being held at night time, Lightning required headlights to be in the race.

"Ka-chow!" he hollered, rolling out of the paint booth and flashing his new headlights.

"You look _awesome_!" Fudge exclaimed.

With the others sporting new stickers with the 95 logo on each of their doors, Fudge was starting to feel left out. So, she'd run home and changed into her cheerleading outfit, which consisted of a bright red glitter top hat, bright red T-shirt with the number 95 and a lightning bolt on each side, all made from dark yellow cloth, sewn on. She was also dressed in shorts, the same colour as the T-shirt (sometimes, if it was cold, she'd wear red cargo pants instead), red and yellow striped socks that came up to her knees... And it was the shoes that Fudge loved the best. Lightning McQueen had human fans as well, so the shoes were high-tops that looked like Lightning McQueen! As soon as she saw them in the store, she knew she had to buy them.

Lightning grinned at her. "Thanks, Fudge-O! You look good too!"

She beamed. "I know!"

The others laughed.

It didn't take long before the big day arrived. Lightning, Mater, Sarge, Fillmore, Luigi, Guido and Fudge were boarding the plane to Tokyo, Japan for the first race.

"This is the last call for Flight 324 to Tokyo", a female voice announced over the PA system soon enough. "The last call."

The RS gang was just finishing up their goodbyes when this announcement came on. Lightning was kissing Sally for the last time before their departure.

"Are you sure you're gonna be okay while I'm gone?" Lightning questioned nervously.

Sally chuckled. "Of _course_ I'm sure! Now, go before the plane leaves without you!"

Meanwhile Fudge, again dressed in her cheerleading outfit to try and be part of the team, was finishing up her "one last hug" with each of the residents that were staying behind.

"Hey, Lightning!" Fudge called to him. "Let's go- _oh_!"

Lightning laughed and followed the rest of his team to the plane, with those who were staying behind calling after them.

"Hey! Good luck, man!" (Ramone.)

"Go get 'em, honey!" (Flo.)

"We'll be watchin' on TV!" (Sheriff.)

"I love you!" (Sally.)

"I love you too, Sally!" Fudge joked. She knew that Sally was talking to Lightning. She was just kidding and there was a chorus of laughter.

"I meant _Stickers_!" Sally called back.

"You mean you don't love me?!" Fudge cried.

"No!" Sally shouted defensively. Then she realised what she had just said. "I mean no, I _do_!"

"You don't have to explain, Sally!" Fudge yelled, pretending to be insulted. Again, everyone knew she was kidding. "I see how it is!"

"Fudge, I love you _too_!" Sally tried desperately to get out of the situation.

"Sure!" Fudge shot back as she disappeared with the others. "You say that _now_!"

The others laughed and kept laughing as they heard Fudge's enthusiastic footsteps and squeals of excitement followed by Luigi's voice.

"Fudgie! Wait for Luigi, okay?!"

As they boarded the plane, Team McQueen could see their friends inside the airport and they all waved to each other. Not one of them was surprised to see that Red was sobbing. He always did when any of them left for one of Lightning's races. Or for any reason, really.

"Go, go, go!" Fudge yelled, ordering the rest of her family onto the plane.

Lightning laughed. "Okay, Fudge-O!"

"Calm down", Sarge added.

"Sarge, she's excited, man", Fillmore defended the human girl.

"So?" the Jeep questioned as the two of them rolled onto the plane after everyone else. " _We're_ all excited, but in an orderly fashion."

Being part of the team for one of the World Grand Prix competitors meant that Lightning and his friends got bumped up to first class on the plane. It was beyond Fudge's wildest dreams. There was just one problem. There were three rows of two seats on each side of the aisle.

Fudge looked around. "Where's _my_ seat?"

Just then, a human flight attendant with her dark brown hair tied back in a neat bun and wearing a dark blue jacket and skirt, matching the paint jobs of the forklift flight attendants appeared. She seemed to recognise Fudge from Lightning's races.

"Miss Rossi-Topolino?" she began. "Won't you come with me?"

Fudge looked nervous, but Luigi and Guido nudged her on. "Okay..."

The flight attendant led Fudge to a different part of the first class section with seats more appropriate for humans. Fudge didn't want to sit apart from the rest of her family, but having human seats was better than sitting in the uncomfortable (for her, anyway) ones for cars. Besides, since she was in first class, that meant she got more leg room.

"I'll take that." The attendant grabbed hold of the small sky blue wheelie suitcase Fudge had and stuck it in the overhead locker for her (she was too short to reach).

"Thanks." Fudge sat down, placing her backpack at her feet.

Looking around, she could see that there were only six passengers in the human first class section. A bald man in his forties, wearing a business suit and round glasses, seemingly lost in the paper a front of him. There was a blonde couple who looked to be in their early twenties, who would not stop kissing each other. The other couple were in their sixties and both reading novels. Fudge felt so alone amongst them.

She got over it pretty soon when the plane began taxiing down the runway. Fudge gazed out the window (she was so glad to have gotten a window seat; that was her favourite!), watching the airport roll by, turning to the building to wave at the rest of her family, even though they wouldn't see her. She smiled gleefully as they got ready to take off. That was always her favourite part of the flight. Her grin expanded as they nosed into the air. They were on their way!

The flight was rather uneventful. Fudge slept a fair bit. Then she sat with Luigi and Guido, talking to them (she was allowed to sit with the others as long as the seatbelt sign was off). Then, after her fathers fell asleep, joined Lightning and Mater in watching some kind of Japanese game show while they devoured sushi and other various yummy snacks.

"Come on!" Fudge hollered from her spot on Lightning's hood as a car bounced from platform to platform. Then she began chanting, "Fall, fall, fall, fall!"

Lightning rolled his eyes, chuckling. "You sound like such a lovely person when you say that", he informed the eleven-year-old.

At that moment, the car fell. All three of them burst out laughing.

"Hey! _You_ laughed too!" Fudge shrieked, giving Lightning a playful shove. "Who's a lovely person _now_?!"

Lightning just laughed.

" _All crew, please be seated for landing_ ", a deep voice crackled over the loudspeaker several hours later.

The human flight attendant from before approached Fudge, Mater and Lightning. "Miss Rossi? I'm going to have to ask you to return to your seat."

Fudge stood uncertainly. "Okay..."

"Go on!" Lightning urged her. "It's only for a few minutes; then we're getting off."

"Okay." Fudge got up and made her way back to her seat.

When she returned to her seat, Fudge buckled up her seatbelt and tried to ignore the weird feeling in her ears (it always happened when they were landing). The human girl gazed out the window, eager for her first glimpse of Tokyo. There it was. A large city with tall buildings and advertisements everywhere. She could even see Mount Fuji in the distance! It was late in the evening and the sky was getting dark, but Fudge was still eager to get started on seeing all the sights.

"We is here!" the eleven-year-old heard Mater shout ecstatically when the plane's wheels hit the tarmac. "We is really here!"

Fudge was exclaiming the same thing when she met up with the others and they made their way off the plane.

"We're here! We're in Tokyo! This is so awesome!" She was running and jumping after her family as they rolled down the ramp off the plane. It was hard for her to keep up, but she was so hyper, there was no way she'd be able to sit still on someone's hood or in Mater's truck bed (it was her mass energy that was part of the reason Lightning made her his cheerleader). "What do you guys wanna do first?! Everything looks so cool! I wonder where the other racers are! Not that it matters! My favourite one is right here!"

"Fudge!" Luigi called as a group of cars struggled to get past the human girl. He scooped her onto his hood and her enthusiasm dampened a little bit.

"Why do I always _do_ this?!" she whined.

"Don't get upset, Fudgie!" Luigi pleaded.

"But I always get in people's way!" the girl complained. "I hate it! Why is it always me?!"

"Come on, Fudge-O! Don't get upset", Lightning repeated Luigi's words. "We're here. You were so excited for this!"

Fudge smiled and cheered up a little bit as they made it to baggage claim and through customs in record time. Their adventure was about to begin!

To Fudge, driving through the streets of Tokyo was like being in a whole other world. It was night time by the time they'd left the airport and all of the buildings and advertisements were lit up in a rainbow of colours.

"Pretty lights!" she cried from her spot on Luigi's hood.

"Yes, I know", the Fiat agreed.

"It's like a rainbow!" Fudge gasped.

The eleven-year-old's mood was dampened a little again when she found herself thinking of her biological father and wondering if he'd ever been to Japan before. She was quick to decide that he probably had. She'd never met her dad and had no idea what he did for a job, but knew that he travelled a lot and was a workaholic. She felt a pang of sadness and anger as she thought about her father. It always happened if her parents came to mind, even for a couple of seconds. As much as Fudge loved her family in Radiator Springs, she wished she knew more about her biological family and hated that she was abandoned.

All of a sudden, Fudge was snapped out of her thoughts when she heard laughter coming from in front of her. It was Mater and Lightning. What was so funny?, she wondered, looking where they were. She glanced up to see an ad for a vacuum cleaner called Lightning McClean and _she_ laughed too.

Luckily, they had a couple of days before the race. Lightning had assured the team that this trip most definitely wasn't gonna be all work and no play. There was so much to see and do. First, there was... (believe it or not) a Lightning McQueen toy store! That was just about the _last_ thing Fudge expected to find in the middle of Tokyo, but there it was. She must have blown at least half of her money in there (the townsfolk had all pitched in to give Fudge some money to spend on souvenirs), but she didn't care. She was happy with her purchases and as long as she was happy, everyone else was happy.

Next, they went to see some traditional Japanese dancers. It seemed that Mater got a little _too_ into that. He had disappeared at some point and when he returned...

"Hey! Excuse me!" he called to the audience, trying to reverse through them.

"Oh, my..." Fudge began, trailing off when she saw Mater. He had the face paint, umbrella and wig that the dancers had. She thought it was kinda funny and he looked good, but she was _not_ expecting him to return looking like that.

Lightning was so relieved Mater didn't get _too_ carried away at their next destination. A sumo wrestling match. Sure, he kinda stood out with his Dinoco drinking hat and cheering louder than everyone else, but it wasn't _that_ bad.

"Go, go!" he and Fudge shrieked as the cars wrestled.

It didn't take long for one to be declared the winner.

"Yeah!" they cheered.

And Fudge had a couple of requests of her own. The first was Tokyo Disneyland and Disney Sea. They had a tradition of going to the Disneyland in California every year the day after the race in Los Angeles. And Fudge wanted to see what Tokyo Disneyland was like as well as Disney Sea. So, they did. Fudge, Lightning and Mater had a blast, going on as many rides as possible, eating candy and buying souvenirs. Luigi and Guido joined them on a couple of rides, but chose to sit most of them out with Sarge and Fillmore, who didn't go on any rides. The four of them just watched, smiling at the sight of the other three having the time of their lives.

Fudge's other request was, knowing how popular karaoke was in Japan, she wanted to give that a go. Not all of the others were enthusiastic about it, but they agreed, finding a karaoke place where they could sing songs in English. None of them were exactly exceptional singers (Fudge couldn't carry a note in a bucket!), but they had a lot of fun; though they _were_ glad that they had a private room! Fudge took great delight in performing "Hey Ya" by Outkast and "All Star" by Smash Mouth. She and Lightning sang a duet of "Piano Man" by Billy Joel. Lightning annoyed Fudge by singing Justin Bieber. Fillmore annoyed Sarge by singing Jimi Hendrix. Fudge tried (and failed) to convince Sarge to sing "Single Ladies" by Beyoncé. There were various other songs performed, but those were just a few. At the end, everyone joined together to sing "Jumping All Over the World" by Scooter because that's what they were doing. Fudge pointed to Lightning at the line of, " _You've got_ _the power to drive me insane_!" Fudge was still laughing long after they'd left. Yeah. She was having the time of her life. So was Mater.

"Come on, Fudgie!" Luigi begged.

Fudge shook her head. "No."

" _Please_?!"

"I don't wanna!"

It was the night of the pre-race party and Luigi was in his hotel room (Luigi, Guido and Fudge shared one room, Lightning and Mater were in another and Sarge and Fillmore took a third) trying to convince his daughter to wear a dress for it. However, Fudge _hated_ wearing dresses and tried to get out of it whenever she could. In fact, when she noticed that Luigi had packed the dress for her, she'd taken it _out_ of her suitcase and hidden it. But Luigi found it and put it in his _own_ luggage. Now, he wanted Fudge to put it on.

" _Luigi_!" she moaned. "You _know_ how I feel about wearing dresses!"

Luigi did know. Fudge didn't really care about her appearance. They were lucky if Fudge left her home with her hair brushed (only reason it _ever_ got done was because her fathers did it _for_ her). Sure, the Fiat was glad his daughter didn't spend hours worrying about how she looked like other girls, but he wished she would care a little more.

"Come on, Fudge!" he repeated. "For _me_."

Fudge gave him a look that said, _I_ really _don't want to, but I'm only doing it because I love_ _you_. "Fine", she relented. "But you can't use that for another month."

Luigi laughed. " _Grazie_." He lay the navy blue dress on her bed. "Put this on quickly. We have to go."

Reluctantly, Fudge pulled the dress on over her head, listening to her fathers exclaim over how beautiful she looked. And when she looked in the mirror, she had to admit that it made her look years older than eleven. She _did_ look kinda pretty. Not often Fudge thought that about herself (not that she thought that she was ugly, she just never saw herself as being particularly pretty), but this time, she did.

Lightning entered Luigi, Guido and Fudge's hotel room. "Hey. You guys ready to go? Everyone else is waiting."

Luigi nodded, grabbing the key card to their room and rolling out the door. Fudge and Guido followed. "Yes. Fudge is dressed now, so we are ready."

"All right. Let's go!" Lightning called to the others.

So, they all left the hotel to go to the pre-race party, which turned out to be _way_ more interesting than anybody expected.

 **Wow. That filler chapter went for way longer than I thought it would. Was it worth it? Please review.**

 **Yeah... Like Fudge, I do have a habit of getting in people's way and getting annoyed at myself for it. Main reason I put that in is because that's probably what I would be like in the situation and Fudge is based off me, so... Oh, and while I'm on that subject, I've been thinking a lot lately. I'm trying to make Fudge as realistic of a character as possible, which I'm sure a lot of you would know is much easier said than done. Do you guys think I'm doing an okay job of that? Any thoughts? I'd really appreciate feedback on this.**

 **Also, I couldn't resist adding in the part about them singing karaoke! XD**

 **Well... I think that's it. Now, if you'll excuse me, I gotta go find out where Fudge got her shoes! XD**


	5. Party Time!

**So, I'm back from vacation. I'm kinda bummed that it's over, but I'm happy to be updating once more!**

 **All right, everybody! I know a few of you have been excited for this part and here it is! It's the night of the party in Japan! Hope you guys all enjoy it! :)**

 **Chapter 5- Party Time!**

The party was taking place at a local art museum. It was like nothing any of them had ever seen. As soon as Team McQueen arrived, reporters swarmed them, snapping their photos and calling out questions. It was quite glamourous.

"McQueen!" a sparkly lavender Porsche with the RSN logo on both doors called out. "Amy Winslow for the RSN! Can we get a few words?"

"Sure", Lightning agreed.

"How do you feel about racing in the World Grand Prix?" she asked. "It sure looks like you're gonna face some tough competition."

"Well, I'll admit, I'm kinda nervous, but mostly excited. I mean, no matter what happens, win or lose, I'm still racing and that's what I like."

Amy laughed. "I like the attitude. So, I hear you were a last-minute entry. What can you tell us about that?"

"Well, I actually received an invitation several weeks ago, but I turned it down because I wanted to spend more time with my family."

"Really? Well, what made you change your mind?"

"It was actually my best friend, who encouraged me to join the race. And here he is." Lightning gestured to Mater. "This is the guy you can thank!"

"Well, thank you..." Amy paused, waiting for Mater to give his name.

"Name's Mater!" he supplied. "Like _tuh-mater_ , but without the _tuh_!"

Amy paused, unsure of how to respond to that. "Well, thank you... Mater for getting Lightning McQueen into the race. We're all looking forward to seeing him race and I'm sure you feel the same way."

"Dad-gum right!" the tow truck agreed. "My best friend, Lightning McQueen, is the best-est race car in the whole wide world! I know he is gonna win!"

"Lightning is the best!" Fudge yelled, jumping up and down in front of the camera. "It's gonna be awesome to watch Lightning beat the open wheels off Francesco!"

Lightning chuckled. "Well, I think we better get going." He pushed Mater and Fudge along.

"All right. Well, it was nice talking to you. Thank you and best of luck."

"Thanks, Amy."

Team McQueen moved on to get to the main party area. There were lots of lights including the Allinol logo sweeping the floor. Japanese pop music was playing softly around them. Lots of cars gathered in small groups, talking and laughing. Fudge couldn't help but wonder who all of them were. They obviously weren't racers or their crews.

"Mostly friends of Axlerod's, probably", Lightning had told her when she asked.

Looking around, Fudge also noticed that there didn't seem to be any other humans around. Not surprising. This party was for a _car race_. A lot of people said that humans didn't belong in these kinds of things. Nobody said it was right, nobody said it was wrong. That was just the way it was. Not that Fudge minded. She was used to being the only human. It didn't bother _her_. Just as long as it didn't bother anybody else.

"This place is _awesome_!" the human girl exclaimed as she through her eyes all over the place, following the others down the spiral ramp. Fudge used the word _awesome_ a lot.

"Guido! Look!" an ecstatic Luigi cried. "Ferraris _and_ tyres! Let's go!"

Even Lightning was amazed. "Look at _this_!" He turned to the tow truck and human girl beside him seriously. "Okay, now, Mater, Fudge, remember. _Best behaviour_."

"You got it, buddy", Mater promised.

"Come on!" Fudge laughed. "When am I _ever_ trouble?" Noticing the look on Lightning's face, she added, "Don't answer that."

"Hey! What's that?!" Mater blurted out abruptly, taking off.

"No! Mater!" Lightning shouted desperately, but he got distracted by Lewis Hamilton calling his name.

"Over here!" Lewis called.

Lightning made his way over to him.

"What about me?" Fudge questioned.

Lightning looked at her. "What about you?" he echoed, puzzled.

"I don't wanna get in your way, but... I don't think I could find Luigi and Guido here."

Lightning sighed. "It's fine. Just stay with me for now", he instructed her before turning his attention to Lewis. "Lewis!" he exclaimed.

"Hey, man!" Lewis greeted him.

Then Lightning noticed who was with him. "Jeff!"

"Hey, Lightning!" Jeff replied. "Can you _believe_ this party?"

The three of them chattered away for a little while, leaving Fudge to feel left out. They were talking about their racing and, although, she did play a small part in the sport, Fudge had never participated in it herself. Besides, she wasn't the most sociable person in the world, far from it. She didn't want to stay, but she didn't want to leave either, fearing that she'd get lost in this huge place.

The eleven-year-old was relieved that the three race cars got distracted by Mater tapping on some glass with his tow hook.

"Hey!" the tow truck called to a Zen Master, who was raking a rock garden. "You done good! You got all the leaves!"

Jeff laughed a little. "Check out that tow truck!"

"Man, I wonder who that guy's with", Lewis commented.

Lightning chuckled, clearly embarrassed. "Will you guys excuse me just for _one_ little second?" He drove off to talk to the tow truck.

"Oh, good job!" Mater exclaimed.

"Hi, Mater!" Fudge called.

Mater turned away from the Zen Master and his rock garden. "Howdy, Fudge! Hey, look!" He gestured back to what he was looking at. "Look how good this guy is! He got all the leaves! Cool, huh?"

"Yeah..." Fudge chuckled weakly, not wanting to be the one to tell him that he was embarrassing Lightning. "Really cool..."

"Mater!" Lightning called, getting his best friend's attention. They moved away from the glass. "Listen, this isn't Radiator Springs."

"You're just realisin' that?" Mater laughed. "That jet lag really done a number on you!"

"Mater, look", Lightning was obviously struggling to explain this without hurting Mater's feelings, "things are different over here. Which means maybe you should... you know... act a little different too."

"Different than what?"

"Yeah", Fudge challenged the race car. "Different than what?"

"Well... Just... help me out here, buddy-"

Mater lit up. "You need help? Shoot! Why didn't you just say so? That's what a tow truck does!"

Lightning sighed, turning to the girl beside him. "Got any ideas, Fudge?"

She shook her head. "Nope." And even if she did, she probably wouldn't have said so. She could see both sides here and figured that it would be best just to stay neutral.

"Hey! Lookie there! It's Mr. San Francisco!" Mater noted, spying the Italian formula car in the corner, talking to some girls. "I'll introduce you!"

"Mater, _no_!" Lightning begged.

"Look at me! I'm helpin' you already!"

Lightning shot Fudge a glance. "Fudge, _do_ something!"

"Like _what_?!" she wondered. Fudge was a kid and Mater was an adult. Why did Lightning expect _her_ to be babysitting _him_?

"I don't _know_!" he shot back, exasperated. "Why don't you two just-"

It was too late.

"Hey, Mr. San Francisco!" Mater greeted him. "I'd like you to meet-"

"Ah! Lightning McQueen!" Francesco exclaimed, noticing his fellow competitor, cutting Mater off. " _Buona_ _sera_!"

"Uh, nice to meet you, Francesco", Lightning began awkwardly.

"Nice to meet you too", Francesco responded, not sounding sincere in the slightest. "You are very good-looking. Not as good as I thought, but you're good."

Fudge struggled to keep a straight face, desperate to prevent herself from rolling her eyes.

Francesco noticed this and glanced from the human girl to the race car. "And who is this?"

"Francesco, this is my cheerleader, Fudge Rossi-Topolino", Lightning informed him.

"Rossi-Topolino?" Francesco echoed. "You are _Italiano_?"

If her name didn't give it away to people, her voice did. Despite living in Radiator Springs her entire life and only having visited Italy a few times, Fudge did have a bit of an Italian accent due to the amount of time she spent around Luigi and Guido and primarily speaking to them growing up. The Italian in her accent wasn't as profound as theirs, but it was there.

"Well, sort of..."

Before Fudge got the chance to explain that she was adopted, Francesco broke in.

"What is a _human_ doing here?" he questioned rather rudely. "Humans do not belong here!"

Fudge did not know how to respond. This guy was just a jerk. He wasn't the first one to say this, but his tone sounded much harsher about it than most.

Thank Chrysler that was when Mater jumped in. "Excuse me! Kin I get a picture wit' you?" he requested excitedly. He was like a kid in the candy shop.

"Ah, anything for McQueen's friend", Francesco assured him.

So, the two of them posed for the camera and, at the last second, Fudge jumped right in front of Francesco in a photo bomb.

"Come on!" Mater shouted. "Let's see how it looks!"

"Yeah!" Fudge agreed.

They studied the photo that they'd just been given and Fudge covered most of Francesco, smiling and giving a thumbs-up.

"Wow! I look _great_!" Fudge declared while Francesco just couldn't believe that Fudge had done that.

Mater, it seemed, didn't really mind. "Miss Sally is gonna flip when she sees this!" he commented gleefully.

Lightning sighed and rolled his eyes.

"She's Lightnin' McQueen's girlfriend!" Mater went on. "She's a big fan of yours!"

"Hey. She has-a good taste", Francesco remarked.

"Mater's prone to exaggeration", Lightning clarified. It was clear that he was starting to get pretty uncomfortable. "I wouldn't say she's a _big fan_."

"You're right! She's a _huge fan_!" Mater shouted. "She goes on and on about your open wheels here."

"Well, mentioning them _once_ doesn't qualify as going _on and on_ ", Lightning pointed out.

"Do you wanna come to one of our girls' nights sometime?" Fudge asked Lightning.

Lightning made a funny noise. Like a groan.

"What's the big deal about open wheels anyway?" Fudge wondered.

"You mean _Sally_ hasn't told you?" Lightning muttered sarcastically.

"Well, she _has_... But I don't get it."

Lightning looked just about ready to kill someone and Fudge got the sense that she should stop talking (didn't happen often, but that time, she did).

"It is a car thing", Francesco informed the eleven-year-old. "A human like yourself would never understand."

Fudge narrowed her eyes. He made the comment sound so innocent, but what did he mean by "a human like _yourself_ "?

"Francesco is familiar with this... reaction to Francesco", the formula car continued. "Women respect a car that has-a nothing to hide."

"Yeah, uh..." Lightning didn't know _what_ to say.

"Whatever _that_ means!" Fudge muttered.

"Let us have a toast!" Francesco proposed, Lightning agreeing. "I dedicate my win tomorrow... to Miss Sally."

"Oh, sorry", Lightning countered. "I already dedicated _my_ win tomorrow to her. So, if we both do it, it's... really not so special. Besides, I... don't have a drink!"

"Well, I'll go get you one", Mater offered. "Hey, you mind if I burrow a few bucks for one of them drinks?"

"They're free, Mater", Lightning deadpanned.

"Besides", Fudge added, "this is Japan. They don't have bucks here."

But Mater wasn't listening to Fudge, but rather focusing on Lightning's words. " _Free_?! Well, shoot! What am I doin' here?" He took off.

"You know, I should probably go... keep an eye on him", Lightning announced, reversing to drive off. "Come on, Fudge. See you at the race, Francesco."

The Italian race car nodded. "Yes. You will see Francesco. But not like this." He turned around to reveal stickers on his bumper reading, CIAO MCQUEEN. "You will see him like-a this as he drives away from you."

"That's cute!" Lightning remarked with a weak chuckle. "Did you have one of those made up for all the racers?"

"No", Francesco replied simply with a smirk.

"Okay..." Lightning rolled off, Fudge struggling to keep up.

" _Ciao_ , McQueen!" Francesco called after them.

"He is _so_ getting beat tomorrow!" Lightning declared angrily, more to himself than anybody else.

"Are you all right?" Fudge wanted to know once she was confident that Francesco couldn't hear them.

He nodded. "Yeah. It's just..." He groaned again. "I _hate_ that guy!"

Fudge laughed. "You and me both!"

"I... I just can't believe I used to be _like_ that!" Lightning commented.

"But it's a good thing you changed", the girl informed him. "Or one day, you'll end up like _Chick_." She spat the mean green race car's name out as if it tasted bad.

"Yeah... Thank Chrysler Francesco's not _that_ bad."

"As long as he doesn't blackmail me into stealing from you guys..." Fudge trailed off, guilt getting the better of her. Even though it was two and half years ago, it wasn't entirely her fault and the others had forgiven her for her part, Fudge couldn't stop feeling bad about the whole thing. That was just the way she was. If Fudge ever did something wrong, nobody was angry about it for longer than Fudge herself and she would feel the need to apologise long after the moment had passed.

"Great!" Lightning groaned. "Where did Mater go?"

Fudge looked around. "I don't know."

"Well, we better go find him. Who _knows_ what he-" Lightning was interrupted by the sound of an announcement over the PA system, calling all racers up for interviews.

Lightning turned to the girl beside him. "Fudge, why don't you-"

"Go find Luigi", Fudge broke in, starting to head off in the other direction. "I know."

But it didn't take long for Fudge to wish she'd stayed with Lightning at least until she'd found the others. As previously stated, this place was frickin' huge! And she couldn't see any of the others.

"Oh, boy..." she murmured at the sight of the many unfamiliar cars.

"Ladies and gentlecars!" came a voice over the PA, "Sir Miles Axlerod!"

Where did that come from? Fudge could hear Axlerod's voice and tried to follow that.

"Great!" she muttered after five minutes, realising that all she was doing was going around in circles.

Just as she was wondering what to do, she bumped into a silvery-blue Faultless GT.

"Ah!" Fudge exclaimed as she fell to the floor. "Sorry about that."

"That's quite all right", he assured her in a rather formal British accent as he helped her up. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah, I'm all right."

"Are you sure?" he questioned.

"Yeah... but have you seen my friends?" She described her friends until he interrupted her with an amused chuckle.

"Would that be them?" He pointed to his left and Fudge's right and sure enough, there were Luigi, Guido, Sarge and Fillmore (but no Mater).

"Hey, Fudge!" Fillmore called, noticing her. "Where've you been, man?"

Fudge giggled weakly and thanked the Faultless GT. Then she ran off and joined the others.

 **Well, that's the first half of the pre-race party. And Fudge has just (literally) ran into Finn. What does this mean? It means we're finally getting to the interesting stuff (well, that's what I think, anyway)!**

 **So, I hope everyone enjoyed that. There's still plenty more to come!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own _Cars_ as much as I wish I did. I own Fudge and, from this chapter only, Amy Winslow. Just thought I'd include an interview with Lightning where Mater gets a mention, so I added her in.**


	6. Mysterious Happenings

**Chapter 6- Mysterious Happenings**

"And now", Axlerod announced finally, "our last competitor... number ninety-five..."

"Saving the best for last, I see", Fudge commented, the other four beside her smiling and nodding in agreement.

"Lightning McQueen!"

"GO, LIGHTNING!" Fudge yelled from her spot in the crowd.

"Ka-chow!" Lightning shouted as he rolled onto the stage, flashing his headlights at the crowd. "Thank you so much for having us, Sir Axlerod. I _really_ look forward to racing! This is a great opportunity."

"Oh, the pleasure is all ours, Lightning", Axlerod assured him. "You and your team bring excellence and professionalism to this competition-"

He was cut off by a loud scream. From Mater. He came zooming through the crowd, attracting _everyone's_ attention.

"Someone, get me water!" the tow truck cried, lapping up some water from the indoor waterfall behind Lightning and Axlerod. "Sweet relief, sweet relief!"

Lightning faced the crowd, including a bunch of cars with cameras, looking like he just wanted to die in a hole. Francesco Bernoulli could be heard laughing and Fudge was just confused. What was up with Mater?

"Whatever you do", Mater proclaimed breathlessly into the microphone, "do _not_ eat the free pistachio ice cream! It has _turned_!"

Now what happened next, something about it just didn't add up to Fudge. Lightning tried to explain what Mater was doing to Axlerod, but then…

"Ah! He's a little excited, isn't he?" Axlerod commented, gesturing to a puddle on the floor between him and Mater.

"Oh, _man_! He _didn't_!" Fudge heard someone in the crowd chortle, half amused, half disgusted.

But it looked like he had. Mater had leaked oil on the stage.

 _Or had he?_ Fudge thought, puzzled and suspicious. Mater _never_ leaked oil, she knew that. Then _what_ was going on?

"Mater, you have to get a hold of yourself!" Lightning scolded his best friend. "You're making a scene!"

"But I never leaked oil!" Mater insisted. " _Never_!" he added for emphasis.

But Lightning's only response was, "Go take care of yourself _right now_!"

 _Something's just not right here_ , Fudge told herself as she watched Mater shoot off again towards the bathroom.

With Mater gone, Lightning got a good look at Sir Axlerod. And he did _not_ look happy. Lightning tried to smile, but it was hard, given the circumstances.

 _I can't_ believe _Mater just_ did _that!_ Lightning thought to himself. He also couldn't believe how fast this night was going downhill. _How can it get any worse?_

"I am so embarrassed!" Lightning moaned when he met up with his crew, minus Mater. "Of all the times and places a car could leak oil, Mater _had_ to do it then and there."

"But Mater _never_ leaks!" Fudge reminded him.

"Well, he has now", Lightning deadpanned.

"I have to agree with Fudge on this one, soldier", Sarge spoke up. "Something about all this doesn't add up."

" _Thank_ you!"

"Well, what would _you_ say's going on?" Lightning demanded, glaring at the human girl. "I'd be _very_ interested to hear _your_ answer, Detective Rossi! It wasn't _me_ , I'll tell you _that_ right now!"

"But... _I_ don't know that", Fudge pointed out. "But... if it wasn't you and it wasn't Mater... that just leaves Axlerod."

"Fudge, he's an _electric_ car! Electric cars don't _use_ oil!" Lightning snapped, sounding as if he'd had enough of everyone. Or at least, her and Mater.

"O _kay_!" Fudge groaned. "Jeez!" she mumbled under her breath. _Wow_! she thought to herself. _Lightning is_ mean _in Japan!_

"Well, _think_ about it!"

"I need the bathroom!" Fudge announced in a huff. "Back in a sec!"

"Do you need me to go with you?" Luigi offered, fearing that she'd get lost.

The eleven-year-old thought about it. "I know where the bathrooms are. I think as long as you stay here, I'll be able to find you."

Luigi nodded. "Okay." He kissed his daughter. "We will wait here. If you get lost, just stay in the one place and if you are not back in ten minutes, we will come looking for you, okay?"

It was Fudge's turn to nod and kiss Luigi. "Be right back."

"And see if you can find out where Mater is!" Lightning called after her.

On her own, the human girl only got lost in her thoughts. She couldn't take her mind off the leaking oil. Was it Mater? Was it Lightning? Was it Axlerod? It didn't really matter, as far as she was concerned. Whichever one of them it was, it didn't make any sense. Well, at least all of the weird stuff was over, she told herself. But little did Fudge know, the weird stuff had barely begun.

"Great!" Fudge mumbled, noticing that the bathroom signs were in Japanese.

At least she wasn't desperate. Then she could wait for someone to come out and see if they were male or female. So, that's exactly what she did and it wasn't long before she was in the right bathroom.

After doing her business, Fudge came out to find... a human! She thought she was the only one at this party, but there was another one, a woman who looked to be in her early twenties. Fudge wondered why she hadn't noticed her before, considering how much she stood out. She had long, dark brown hair, similar to Fudge's, only straighter, a slightly lighter shade and the bottom half was dyed just about every colour of the rainbow. She also had blue eyes like Fudge's and she was tall and slender, dressed in a really short, sparkly silver dress. The two humans looked so alike. They could've been sisters.

"Who _are_ you?" Fudge wondered, not realising how rude her question sounded.

Before her fellow human could answer, a magenta sports car, who was clearly a female, rolled past. She was about to go into the men's room.

"Uh..." Fudge began awkwardly. She hated correcting people, but she was trying to help this car out. " _This_ is the women's."

She looked to the human girl, confused. "What?" she asked in a British accent. "Oh, yes... Thank you..."

Before any of them could do anything else, Fudge heard Mater's voice.

"And when she starts gigglin', prepare to be squirted!"

A second later, the tow truck burst out the door for the men's and Fudge was disappointed to see that by then, the other human had disappeared.

"'Scuse me, Ma'am!" he called to the sports car as he rolled back to the party. Then he noticed his friend following him. "Howdy, Fudge!"

"Hi, Mater!"

The tow truck backfired all of a sudden.

Fudge made a face, but she was giggling. "That's _disgusting_!"

"Dad-gum pistachio ice cream!" Mater groaned.

"Pistachio ice cream?" Fudge echoed, puzzled.

Mater didn't explain. He just started swinging his tow hook instead. "Look out, ladies! Mater's fittin' to get funky!"

"You're a goofball, you are!" the human girl proclaimed, giggling.

"Do ladies like that?" Mater wondered.

"Some do", Fudge answered with a small smile. "I didn't know you _wanted_ a girlfriend."

Mater shrugged. "Ah, well, if the right girl comes along..."

That was when they were interrupted by the sports car. "Hello."

"Well, _hello_ ", Mater returned the greeting.

"Um... hi?" Fudge answered uncertainly.

"A Volkswagen Karmann Ghia has no radiator", she informed them.

Fudge blinked. "Okay..."

"Well, of course it doesn't", Mater responded over the top of his human friend. "That's because it's air-cooled."

Fudge smiled at him, impressed. As a tow truck, Mater knew a lot about that kind of thing.

"Oh! Perfect!" the sports car sighed in relief. "Um... I'm from the Tokyo station-"

"'Course Karmann Ghias weren't the only ones", Mater rattled on. "Besides the Beetles, you had the Type three Squarebacks with the pancake motors."

"Yeah, okay, I get it", the sports car attempted to stop him.

But Mater wasn't done. "And before both of them, there's the Type two buses. My buddy Fillmore's one of them."

"Listen!" she jumped in. She turned to Fudge and then back to Mater. "Um... I'm assuming this is the human associate?"

Fudge looked blank. "The what?"

But the sports car wasn't paying attention to her anymore. "She was a bit younger than I was expecting... Anyway, um... we should find somewhere more private", she suggested.

"What for?" Fudge questioned.

"Uh..." Mater was unsure of how to respond. "Gee... Don't you think that's a little..."

"Yeah, you're right", the sports car realised. "Impossible to know which areas here are compromised. So, when can I see you again?"

Mater grinned. "Well, let's see. Tomorrow, I'll be out there at the races!"

"Got it!" she confirmed. "We'll rendezvous then."

"There you are!" Lightning cried when he noticed his best friend and the human girl beside him. "Where've you been?"

"It's a long story", Fudge replied.

"What's a _rendezvous_?" Mater wanted to know, seemingly distracted. He probably was. Fudge noticed that he looked like he was driving on air the whole way back. He seemed to be on another planet.

"It's-a like a date", Luigi replied.

"A _date_?!" Fudge and Mater echoed in incredulous unison. Now, the tow truck was definitely back on Earth.

"Mater, what's going on?" Lightning questioned.

"Well, what's goin' on is I got me a date tomorrow!" Mater bragged.

" _Non ci credo_ ", Guido informed Mater.

"Guido don't believe you", Luigi translated.

"Well, believe it", Mater told Guido. "My new girlfriend just said so... Hey! There she is!" Everyone jerked to attention as Mater pointed out the magenta sports car in the distance. "Hey! Hey, lady! See you tomorrow!" She drove off quickly.

" _Non ci credo_ ", Guido repeated.

"Guido still don't believe you", Luigi translated once again.

"So, is everyone ready to go?" Lightning quizzed the group.

The other five cars stated that they were.

Fudge just nodded and yawned loudly. Her eyes were watering like they always did when she was tired.

"Okay, let's go. Fudge, can I just talk to you for a sec?"

The human girl nodded uncertainly. "Okay..."

Once the others were gone, Lightning sighed. "Look, Fudge... I'm sorry, all right? I didn't mean to get mad at you. It doesn't make any sense to me either. And all the stuff Mater was doing... It just had me on edge, you know?"

Fudge shrugged. "That's okay... But there's someone else I think you should apologise to."

"Mater?" Lightning guessed.

"Yeah."

Another sigh. "Yeah... I guess you're right."

But Fudge wasn't really listening anymore. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted something unusual. It was kinda hard to see because it went by so fast, but there was a dark blue muscle car with a lot of scratches and dents all over him wedged between a rusty orange Gremlin and faded green Pacer. He was struggling to get free, but the other two cars had a tight grip on him. Why were they doing that? Who were they? Where were they taking him? How did he get all of those dents and bruises? Did _they_ do it?

"You okay, Fudge-O?" Lightning questioned, getting her attention. "You look like you've just seen the ghostlight."

"Well, I _have_ seen something weird", she responded. She told him what she'd just seen.

"I'm sure it's fine", Lightning assured her. "Don't worry about it. I think you've got enough on your mind as it is." He sighed. "It's been a long day. I know you're tired and I am too. We should head back to the hotel and get some sleep. We got a big day tomorrow."

It was when the two of them were coming out of the museum that Fudge saw yet another strange thing. The human woman from before! She was talking to someone in a radio or something, it seemed; only Fudge couldn't see one.

"Things just got worse than I thought", she reported in a hushed American accent. "The device has been passed on to a civilian... _Yes_! I _do_ understand what that means, sir, but I wasn't _there_! There was nothing I could've done... Yes, I'm prepared to take up the extra work. You _know_ I'll do whatever it takes! Whatever must be done, I'll do it... Of _course_ I'll take care of the civilians for you. That's part of the job!" She glanced up to see several cars rolling past. "I have to go. This area is compromised. I'll get back you as soon as I can."

Just as she was finishing up, the Gremlin and Pacer from before returned, but not the muscle car. Where did _he_ go?

"Hey, Hannah!" the Pacer called to her. "You coming?"

"Yeah!" the Gremlin added. "Boss has a job for us!"

The woman rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah, boys, I'm coming!" And just like that, she was gone again.

"Fudge!"

Fudge jumped at the sound of Lightning's voice and dragged her eyeballs away from where the other human just was. "Yeah?"

"Just forget about it. Come on. You need some sleep."

"Yeah, I know..."

Later that night, Fudge rolled over in her bed (the huge double bed, which she got all to herself as the only human) to stare out the window. She found herself thinking of Radiator Springs. The rainbow neon lights of Tokyo were much brighter and more intense than the ones she'd see out of her window back home. Home. It was Chrysler knows how many miles away.

"Home..." Fudge whispered to herself, beginning to really miss Radiator Springs. Where everything made sense.

All of a sudden, the inside door connecting Fudge, Luigi and Guido's hotel room to Lightning and Mater's burst open. It was probably Luigi and Guido. They'd been in the next room with Lightning and the others discussing the race the next day. Then again, they wouldn't be so loud...

"Hey, Fudge!" Mater called excitedly.

"What?" the eleven-year-old mumbled sleepily. She should've known that it was Mater.

"I wanna talk to ya!"

"About what?"

"It was the pistachio ice cream, Fudge!" the tow truck announced dreamily.

"What?" she asked.

"The pistachio ice cream!" he repeated. "That's what done brought me and my new girlfriend together!" He went on to explain how if he never ate the pistachio ice cream (he never found out that it was actually wasabi that he ate!), he never would've ended up on the stage, leaking oil. Then he never would've gone to the bathroom, outside of which he met his girlfriend.

"Great, Mater", Fudge muttered. Like Guido, she didn't exactly believe Mater had a girlfriend and plus, she was tired.

"Ya saw my new girlfriend, right? She sure is purty, ain't she, Fudge?" the tow truck commented, sounding really dreamy.

"Uh-huh", Fudge yawned.

"My new girlfriend is the purtiest car I ever met", he declared. "I can't wait for our date tomorrow! Hey, you think I should get 'er flowers or somethin', Fudge? Fudge?"

Silence. Mater moved closer to the bed and saw that Fudge was fast asleep. So, he decided that he should get some sleep as well. It had been a crazy night and tomorrow was another big day.

 **I'm probably not gonna update this for a while. I'm currently up to chapter nineteen in writing it, but still, I don't wanna upload it all at once. But what I _am_ gonna be publishing soon is a Christmas special for _Tales From Radiator Springs_ (don't get too excited; it's not that good, but I'm publishing it anyway), so keep an eye out for that.**

 **Please review if you want to see this continued. Reviews are what motivate me.**

 **See ya soon. Fudge.**


	7. Before the Race

**Hi, guys! This chapter was a real pain to upload. First, it wouldn't work for, like, twenty-four hours. Then when I published it, I got it pointed out that it was nothing but code. (Blame FFN for that. I have no idea how _that_ happened.) So, I'm hoping that this has solved the problem.**

 **Anyway, h** **ope you all had wonderful holidays! I know** _ **I**_ **sure did! Now,** _ **Home for Christmas**_ **(the short story in the** _ **Tales from Radiator Springs**_ **collection) was my early Christmas present to you guys, but this is my late Christmas present. This is just another filler, so don't expect much from it. I know it seems like there are a lot of filler chapters, but, like I said before, I wanna add as many original scenes as I possibly can. That way, we get to go behind the scenes of the movie a little more and you won't know** _ **everything**_ **you can expect.**

 **Chapter 7- Before the Race**

"Rise and shine, Fudge-O!" Lightning called as a door opened noisily.

Lightning? What was _he_ doing in her house and waking her up? Fudge stretched her hand out and smacked it hard on something wooden.

"Ow!" she cried, rubbing her sore hand.

Since _when_ was the bedside table _that_ close to her bed? Surely, it was further away than _that_ last time she checked. Fudge sat up sleepily and saw not the familiar little businesses of her hometown, but the sun rising over the huge towers of a city and lots of signs in Japanese characters.

 _Oh, yeah_ , she remembered. She was in Tokyo. She kept forgetting. They'd been there for a couple of days and every morning, Fudge would wake up, thinking that she was back home in Radiator Springs.

"All right, guys!" Lightning announced. "We got a lot to do today, so... let's get to it!"

"All right, what's first?" Sarge asked, his voice filled with its usual authority and determination to get to work.

"Breakfast."

Everyone laughed.

After eating, they returned to their rooms to turn on the weather (Lightning wanted to see what kind of conditions he could expect out on the track).

"It's in _Japanese_!" Lightning exclaimed in dismay when the weather appeared on the screen.

"This is _Japan_ , soldier", Sarge reminded him. "What did you expect?"

"It's not that bad", Fudge noted, gesturing to the screen. "Look, they got the pictures like the sun and the cloud and the rain... and your favourite, the lightning bolt! Plus, the numbers are all in English.

"In Celsius, not Fahrenheit!" Lightning complained.

Once they'd converted the Celsius into Fahrenheit Lightning, Sarge, Fillmore, Luigi and Guido got to work, insisting that Fudge and Mater could help by staying out of the way and out of trouble.

"Why do _we_ have the hard job?" Fudge had joked to Mater, giggling.

"If you want, Fudge", Sarge piped up kind of sternly, "you can help us."

"I'm good", she replied.

"So..." Fudge attempted to start a conversation with Mater once the others had left. "What's new?"

"Aw, nothin' much", the tow truck responded. "Jus' excited about my date. And McQueen done apologised to me 'bout last night, so..."

"So, you guys are cool?"

Mater nodded. "Yeah."

"Well, that's good... So, what do you wanna do?"

Mater shrugged. "I don't know."

"Well, let's see what's on TV", Fudge suggested, reaching for the remote control.

When the TV came on, the first thing they got was a black and white, fuzzy, crackly channel.

"Oh! I love this show!" Fudge joked.

But Mater changed the channel.

"Think we'll find anything in English?" Fudge wondered as they flipped through channels of anime and Japanese news and game shows. Nothing seemed to be in English.

"I don't know..." Mater navigated himself to the movies. "Dad-gum! They got a preview for that movie we wanna see! Let's watch!"

Fudge shrugged. "Okay." She grinned, leaping onto the couch. "I have been dying to see this movie for _ages_! _And_ it's in _English_!"

It wasn't for about another ten minutes that Fudge realised that this wasn't a preview at all. It was the actual movie! At first, Fudge was a little concerned that they were gonna have to pay for it, but it was a little too late. Besides, she was far too into the movie to turn it off. Plus, Lightning was filthy rich. He could easily afford it.

When the others returned, they decided to leave early for the race, so they could grab some dinner from a nearby sushi place before the race and get to the pits early to make sure they were prepared. So, Fudge changed into her cheerleading outfit, grabbed her red and gold pom-poms and they were off.

"This place is _awesome_!" Fudge declared, looking around at the pits covered in the team's logo.

"Yeah, you like it?" Lightning asked.

The human girl nodded. "Yeah! And at least, we're under cover", she noted. "Remember that race where it was just _pouring_ it down!"

"Oh, yeah!" Lightning chuckled, clearly remembering. He'd returned to the pits after the race to find a very wet and cold Fudge shivering with blue lips and chattering teeth.

"Fudgie nearly got a cold from that race", Luigi chimed in with a smile.

Everyone laughed except for Mater, who hadn't been to that race. Fudge cast a glance to the tow truck and was wondering if he felt left out. If he did, he was trying not to show it. At least he was here now and joining the rest of them on this big adventure.

"So, this is Allinol?" Fudge examined the tank in front of her. "What's so great about this stuff?" What the eleven-year-old knew about gasoline and alternative fuels, you could fit into the head of a pin with plenty of room to spare.

"It's supposed to be a great alternative fuel", Lightning explained, telling her about the environmental benefits of alternative fuel.

Fudge nodded understanding. "Oh. Okay." It made a lot more sense now,

Pretty soon, it was time for the racers to get onto the track.

"You ready, guys?" Lightning quizzed his pit crew.

"Absolutely!" they assured him.

"What about you, Fudge-O?"

Fudge nodded, waving her pom-poms. "Ready as I'll ever be!"

The race car looked to his best friend. "Mater? Are you _ready_?"

The tow truck nodded confidently. "Yeah, I'm ready!"

He sure _looked_ ready. In fact, with his headset on and a serious, confident expression on his face, Fudge had never seen Mater look so professional. Well, actually, she'd _never_ seen him look professional at all. At least, not in the conventional way. While happy, cheerful and a little (okay, a _lot_ ) childlike, he was still professional in his work as a tow truck. Now, he looked like a true serious crew chief. It was probably because he was very determined not to let his best friend down.

Although Lightning had apologised to Mater about the night before, the events still lingered in everyone's minds. Fudge just couldn't stop thinking about that oil. And the other human. And that muscle car led away by the Gremlin and Pacer. And Mater's supposed girlfriend. She just wished that she could make sense of it all. And she knew what the others would say if she told them that all of that was still on her mind.

 _It's all over now, Fudge,_ they'd tell her. _Just don't waste time worrying about it, all right?_

But she couldn't _stop_ worrying about it. Something was up. She just didn't know _what_ yet.

"Well, I better get out there", Lightning announced, revving his engine. "Wish me luck!" he called to the others.

"Good luck!" Fudge shouted. "You're the best! You are _so_ gonna beat the open wheels off of Francesco!"

"You go get 'em, buddy!" Mater cried.

 **Well, that's another chapter done. There's a reference to something that's mentioned later in the movie, but I'm sure you all noticed that.**

 **Not a lot to say except please review. That's what motivates me to keep writing and updating. Reviews are like my Cruz Ramirez.**


	8. Tokyo Race

**I'm sure a bunch of you know how much I struggled with the uploading of the last chapter. I'm hoping that this one's better. Please R, E and R (Read, enjoy and review).**

 **Chapter 8- Tokyo Race**

"Japan, land of the rising sun!" the RSN announcer's opening speech rang out on television sets across the world as well as on the monitors above the track. "Where ancient tradition meets modern technology. Welcome to the inaugural running of the World Grand Prix! I'm Brent Mustangburger, here with racing legends, Darrell Cartrip and David Hobbscap. There has _never_ been a competition like this before. First, Allinol, making its debut tonight as the required fuel for all these great champions. Second, the course itself, it is like nothing _we've_ ever seen before. David, how exactly does this competition work?"

"Well, Brent…" David Hobbscap went on to explain what could be expected from the three tracks in Japan, Italy and England including straightaways, technical turns and a dirt section.

Meanwhile, Lightning and the other racers were leaving the pits and heading towards the track. Fudge, back in the garage, was clutching her pom-poms, eyes glued to the monitors, hanging on the three commentators' every word. She couldn't believe her ears when David Hobbscap declared Francesco Bernoulli as the best in the competition. Brent Mustangburger said nothing, but looked like he agreed with David. No way!

"In my opinion, McQueen is the best all-round racer in this competition!" Darrell Cartrip stated.

"Amen to that!" Fudge yelled, pointing to the monitor.

"Really, Darrell", David answered after shaking his hood. "I think you need to clean your windshield. You're clearly not seeing this for what it is. Francesco's race to lose."

"Hey, _you're_ the one who needs to clean his windshield, buddy!" Fudge shouted.

"It's time to find out", Brent announced. "The racers are locking into the grid."

And so, they were. All of them were at the starting line. Lightning was at the back next to (*shudders*) Francesco. Lightning closed his eyes and murmured softly to himself. Fudge couldn't hear him, but had to smile as she could see him mouthing, _Speed. I. Am._ _Speed._ Fudge could then hear the sound of Francesco laughing and didn't like where that was going. Even though she couldn't hear what Francesco was saying, his cocky grin said it all. Fudge narrowed her eyes, but didn't do anything else since the race was starting.

"Here come the lights", came Brent Mustangburger's voice as the lights turned green and the racers took off like bullets from a gun.

"BOOGITY, BOOGITY, BOOGITY! LET'S GO RACING, BOYS!" Darrell Cartrip yelled out his catchphrase.

Fudge forgot about Francesco and couldn't help but feel excited. The World Grand Prix was officially underway.

As the racers zoomed across the track, Fudge's cheerleading act also got into full swing. It was always fun to cheer her older brother on in that way and doing so in this once-in-a-lifetime sporting event was an exciting, overwhelming honour for Fudge.

"Ready?!" Fudge cried. "Okay!" Then, dancing around the garage, waving her pom-poms around as she always did, she began chanting:

" _Hey! Listen to me! I'm on the mike!_

" _Whatcha gonna do when the Lightning strike?!_

" _I said, whatcha gonna do when the Lightning strike?!_

" _Yeah! Whatcha gonna do, whatcha gonna do_ ,

" _Whatcha gonna do when the Lightning strike?!_

" _Uh-huh! He's on that track! He gonna take the lead!_

" _'_ _Cause you know damn well that guy is speed!_

" _He'll get number one, not number two!_

" _And he's gonna beat the hell outta you!_ "

That was her original chant, but she added more to it specially for the World Grand Prix.

" _He can race in cold, he can race in warm!_

" _Lightning takes the world by storm!_

" _He can race in Japan, he can race in the States!_

" _Lightning's fast, Lightning's great!_

" _He can race at day, he can race at night!_

" _You're the best race car, Light!_ "

"Shoot! That there's a purty good chant, Fudge!" Mater informed her appreciatively. He grinned at her.

"Thanks!" Fudge returned the tow truck's contagious smile. "I came up with it all by myself."

The race started off really well. While the other racers' pit crews (all forklifts and a car for the crew chief; no humans except for Fudge, just like the Piston Cup) were squabbling and frantically getting things done, everything was running smoothly in Team McQueen's pits.

"Your suspension stats look good", Sarge reported.

"Tyre pressure is excellent!" Luigi added happily.

"He's got plenty of fuel", Fillmore put in, satisfied.

"And he's awesome!" Mater concluded.

Neither Fudge nor Guido said anything, but both agreed with Mater that Lightning was awesome. Francesco was in the lead at that point, but…

"Hang on, boys!" Darrell Cartrip exclaimed from the commentating box. "Here comes the dirt! Slippin' and slidin', baby!"

"McQueen, it's time to make your move!" Mater instructed through the headset. "Get on the outside and show 'em what Doc done taught you!"

"Turn right to go left!" Fudge yelled.

The human girl couldn't hear because she was the only one without a headset (Guido's didn't have a microphone, but still, he could hear Lightning), but Lightning answered with, "Ten-four, Mater."

"Oh boy!" David Hobbscap cried. "Francesco's brought to a screeching halt!"

Fudge glanced at one of the monitors. Yes, David was right. Francesco had been the first to hit the dirt track section and was slamming on his brakes.

"Lightning McQueen is the first to take advantage", Brent Mustangburger informed viewers as Lightning and all the other racers shot past Francesco. "And just like that, folks, Francesco's lead is left in the dust."

"Yes!" Fudge cheered, punching the air. "Nicely done, Light!"

"Fudge said, 'Nicely done'", Mater told Lightning.

"I know", Lightning laughed. "I could hear her _without_ her having a headset."

"Man, McQueen looks happier than a roll bar at a demolition derby!" Darrell remarked.

"Everyone's jostling for position as we hit the asphalt again", Brent observed. "Francesco lost a lot of momentum in the dirt."

"Wow, he's got some serious work ahead of him", David commented, "if he wants to get back in this race."

"Now, the racers hit the Rainbow Bridge with its three hundred and sixty degree loop", Brent announced.

The race cars, with Lightning in the lead, sped along the Rainbow Bridge and came in to finish lap one. It shouldn't have been particularly exciting or eventful in any way, but just before they zipped past the garages…

 **BOOM!** Smoke came out of the engine of Spanish racer Miguel Camino as he slowed down. _What just happened?_ Fudge wondered, concerned.

"Oh!" Darrell Cartrip shouted. "Miguel Camino has blown an engine!"

"Very unusual, Darrell", Brent Mustangburger added as Miguel came into the pits. "He's been so consistent all year."

Miguel's pits were right next to Lightning's, so Team McQueen looked on, rather shaken up as he rolled in.

"Fudgie, are you okay?" Luigi asked, concerned as he noticed his daughter's fearful expression as she tried to take a cautious peek at Miguel's pits.

"That was really scary", was Fudge's response.

"I know it was." Luigi gave her a hug and turned her away from the pits.

"Is he okay?" Fudge questioned.

"I don't know", Luigi responded, rocking her gently.

Fudge turned to the rest of the crew, who were still looking. "Is he okay?" she repeated.

"He _looks_ okay", Sarge informed her. "Just a bit in shock."

And it was just as scary the second time when it happened to Rip Clutchgoneski of the Republic of Rearendia. However, Mater didn't think so. He was too distracted by something else.

"Hey! I know you!" he exclaimed into his microphone. "You're that girl from the party last night! You wanna do our date right _now_?"

Fudge looked to him, confused. _How_ was he talking to the girl from the party?

"Well, is there gonna be cable where you is, so I can watch the rest of the race?" A pause. "Well, I usually like to have a proper detailin' done before I meet a lady friend!"

And just like that, he rolled out of the garage.

"Where are you going?" Fudge called after him.

But he was gone and didn't seem to hear Fudge.

"Mater!" Without thinking, Fudge ran after him and little did she know, she was in for the ride of her life.

 **How was that? Please review. I** ** _REALLY_** **wanna know what you guys think.**

 **Just so you know, Fudge's cheerleading chant was made up by me. I didn't steal it from anywhere. What did you think? Did you like it?**

 **One more thing. I was thinking of maybe doing a story that was sort of a sequel to** ** _Vacation Crashers_** **, featuring another vacation for the RS gang. If I do write and upload it, it would probably be after this story and a few others are finished because I imagine that it would contain spoilers. I don't have many ideas for it yet, but would anybody be interested in reading it?**


	9. What Just Happened?

**How's everyone's 2018 going so far? Good? I hope so. And I'm hoping it's just gotten even better with this new update! I've almost finished writing this story and can tell you that there will be 34 chapters, but in the meantime, here's chapter nine. Enjoy.**

 **Chapter 9-What Just Happened?**

"Mater!" Fudge called out, wandering the streets of Tokyo.

In hindsight, maybe going after Mater wasn't the best idea after all. She could easily get lost and end up not even finding Mater at all. Why did it even matter so much where he was going? _Because_ _none of this makes any sense_ , Fudge answered her own question.

"Mater!" she shouted again as she rounded a corner.

When Fudge made it around the corner, she didn't find Mater there. She found the human woman from the party the night before! She was dressed in a leather jacket, shirt, jeans and knee-high boots, all in black, making all of the dye in her hair stand out even more. Yet Fudge couldn't focus on any of that. All that she paid any attention to was the fact that she had a gun in her belt. And she was pulling it out slowly. And aiming it right at Fudge!

"Oh, my God!" Fudge gasped.

"Don't... _move_!" the woman ordered the girl.

"What?" Fudge asked.

" **I SAID DON'T MOVE!** " she repeated.

The eleven-year-old wanted to run, but she found herself rooted to her spot. Still, she managed to slowly and shakily raise her hands in the air. _Why_ did she want to shoot her? Wait a sec! She'd told someone over a radio or something that she would "take care" of some civilians... Was this what she meant? Then there were the Gremlin and the Pacer she'd spoken to the night before. They had creeped her out and she seemed to be with them. The trigger was pulled back...

 _What are you_ doing _?_ Fudge scolded herself in her head. **_RUN!_**

But she couldn't do it. No matter how much she wanted to, she couldn't get herself away from this insane woman with a gun. There was a loud bang.

Fudge closed her eyes, thinking, _This is it!_ But all of a sudden, something metal slammed into her side, knocking her over.

" _Owww_!" she yelped as she landed hard on her side. It hurt a lot, but thankfully, she didn't appear to have any broken bones or serious injuries.

Fudge glanced up to see who had saved her. It was the Faultless GT that she ran into (literally) at the party the night before! What was _he_ doing here? _Who_ was he?

"What are you doing?" Fudge asked him. She looked around to see that the human was gone again.

"Trying to save your life!" He shot out some grappling hooks to lift Fudge onto his roof.

"Hey!" she shrieked. "Put me down!"

He ignored her. "Miss Shiftwell?"

"I've got him in the back alleys east of the garages", a female British accent reported over some kind of radio. "Multiple assailants are closing in quickly!"

"Keep him moving!" the Faultless GT instructed her. "I'm on my way!"

With that, he used his grappling hooks to suspend himself and Fudge into the air.

"Whoa!" the child cried as she found herself on top of a building. From the top of the building, she could see...

"Mater!"

The car turned to stare at her as if he didn't understand what she'd just said (well, he probably didn't). "I'm sorry?"

"My friend's down there", Fudge explained.

"The tow truck?"

"Yeah."

"Well, perhaps you should get back to your partner", the Faultless GT suggested. "He probably needs you."

For the third time in a couple of minutes, his grappling hooks came out. Only this time, there was some kind of metal device attached to it. Next thing she knew, this car had pushed Fudge off the top of the building!

Before she even had time to scream, the metal device grabbed hold of her hands and she was flying across the street like a zip line. It was actually kinda fun!

"Whoa!" she shouted for the second time.

All of a sudden, the metal thing dropped her closer to the ground right in front of Mater.

"Fudge!" The tow truck grinned at her. "What is you doin' here?"

"What are _you_ doing here?" was Fudge's reply.

"I gotta go fer my date!"

"Oh, yeah, that's right", Fudge remembered.

"She's tellin' me where to go in my head", Mater explained.

Fudge had no idea what he was talking about. "Um... Okay?"

"Hey, new lady friend!" Mater called, noticing a flower shop. "You like flowers?"

Fudge leaned in closer to try and listen to what was going on.

"WHAT?!" Lightning exclaimed through the headset, having no idea what was going on.

"No! Don't go in anywhere!" a female British accent instructed. The same one that had been on the radio with the other car. "Just keep moving!"

"Mater!" Fudge shouted as a Gremlin appeared in front of them!

"Stay outside", Mater confirmed. "Gotcha."

"Outside?" Lightning repeated. He trusted his best friend, so he moved to the outside of the track on the Rainbow Bridge. An action which allowed Francesco to sail into the lead, calling, " _Grazie_ and _arrivederci_!"

"I can _not_ believe what I just saw, Brent!" Darrell commented. "That was a bonehead move! You don't open up the inside like that!"

"That move might've cost McQueen the victory", David added.

Meanwhile...

"You're doing brilliantly!" the sports car informed Mater and Fudge. "Now, just stay focused!"

"What are we supposed to be doing?" Fudge wondered.

"What's that?" Mater questioned, noticing some flames and cars fighting down the street. "You want us to head towards that ruckus?"

"No!" the voice cried through the radio. "Don't go down that street!"

"What the hell is going on?!" Fudge demanded, struggling to decide between going after Mater, staying where she was or going back to the pits.

But before she could make her mind up, Fudge felt herself being tackled to the ground, yelping in surprise. When she found out who was on top of her, she nearly had a heart attack. The human _again_!

"Let me go!" Fudge shrieked.

But the other human ignored the girl, grabbing hold of her left hand. All of a sudden, there was a loud beeping sound.

"Area's compromised", the older human mumbled to herself, looking at the silver watch on her wrist. "Better make this quick!"

Fudge's heart pounded. Make _what_ quick?

"What are you doing?!"

Again, she was ignored. Fudge couldn't see what was going on, but felt a sharp pain in the hand the woman held, causing her to cry out.

"There she is!" a voice called out, prompting the woman to stand up and run, muttering the S word to herself over and over again.

Fudge stood up slowly, having no idea what had just happened. It didn't really matter. She had to find Mater. When she rounded the corner, she couldn't believe what she saw!

The Faultless GT was wedged between three cars- one on each side and one behind him, pushing him forward. The green Pacer from the party was heading straight for him with a flamethrower!

"What are they _doing_?!" Fudge shrieked. She'd never seen anything like this in her life!

Out of nowhere, the Faultless GT jumped up, sending the car behind him flying forward and crashing into the Pacer with the flamethrower. The green Pacer got stuck in between the chopsticks on a billboard advertising sushi and Fudge had no idea where the other one went.

" **WHOA!** " Fudge cried in awe.

The Faultless GT got into a fighting stance. "Hi-ya!"

"Wow!" Mater cried. "A live karate demonstration!"

" _Awesome_!" Fudge exclaimed.

One of the Pacers charged at the Faultless GT, but he covered his wheel with a magnet, grabbing hold of the car's hood and sending it flying onto a lift, which was close by! Then the silvery-blue car shot at the cables, causing the lift to go shooting upwards. The final car also charged for him, but he jumped onto a wall to avoid him. The Pacer tumbled onto the lift and the Faultless GT was shooting more bullets at the cables, causing the lift, with one of the Pacers on it, to collapse to the ground on top of the second one!

"That was cool!" Mater exclaimed as the Faultless GT put his gun away.

Fudge grinned. "Wow! Don't see that every day, hey, Mater?"

"Hey, can I get your autograph?!" Mater called.

Before he could reply, some white cars wearing red headbands emerged from a nearby karate centre, getting in between Mater and this car. They chattered excitedly in Japanese as they drove off. When they were all gone...

"Hey, where'd he go?" Mater wondered. The Faultless GT was gone!

"Our rendezvous has been jeopardised", the female British accent announced through the radio."Keep the device safe. We'll be in touch."

"Dad-gum!" Mater groaned. "Did I miss our date?!"

Then came a loud bang. Fudge gasped. There she was again! That human who tried to shoot her! She was only just visible around the corner. And so was that familiar silver weapon. For only half a second, though. Then she was gone. Again.

"Come on!" Fudge grabbed Mater's fender and tried to ignore the shiver that was running down her spine. "We better get going!"

 **So, there you have it! There's chapter nine! I hope you enjoyed it and chapter ten will come soon since it's already written and there's not a lot of drama in it, but it's an important chapter. I may upload it with chapter eleven.**

 **Also, I have recently added some important information about my human and vehicle shared universe to my profile along with Fudge's character profile, revealing her appearance (though the front cover of** ** _Vacation Crashers_** **gives you more of an idea of that), her personality, her likes, her dislikes. So, feel free to check that out. Some of the information is irrelevant to my stories, but they do give you a bit of extra insight.**

 **So, that's all from me. Hope to see you soon.**


	10. Poor Mater

**Just finished writing the entire story and have kinda been having a "now what?" sort of feeling. So, I thought I'd upload this now. Enjoy.**

 **Chapter 10- Poor Mater**

"Brittney Rossi-Topolino!" a familiar voice called out. " _There_ you are!"

Fudge paused, horrified. Not only by the angry tone that had just spoken, but the fact that they had used her real name. Nobody _ever_ called her Brittney. She was Fudge to the world. In fact, until she was five, she thought that Fudge _was_ her real name (boy, was she shocked to find out it wasn't). So, she knew as soon as someone called her Brittney, she was in _very_ big trouble.

Sure enough, right outside the garage waiting for their daughter were Luigi and Guido. And they did _not_ look happy.

"Uh-oh!" the eleven-year-old murmured softly, her heart hammering more so than it already was (she was still kind of in shock from the night's incidents).

"Mater?" Luigi looked to the tow truck beside his daughter. "I think Lightning was looking for you."

"All right", Mater agreed, driving into the garage.

" _Where_ have you _been_?!" Luigi demanded as soon as he was gone.

Fudge hesitated, recalling what had just happened in her mind. There was no way she could think to explain it that sounded even a little bit believable.

The only response she could come up with was, "You wouldn't believe me if I told..."

Big mistake. Fudge shouldn't have said _that_. Her fathers' glares hardened.

"Brittney, you _know_ this isn't Radiator Springs!" Luigi began. (He was real naming her again! He must've been _really_ mad!) "You can't just go off on the streets by yourself! We were _very_ worried about you! It is a good thing you found your way back here, but what would we do if you didn't?!"

"But Mater-" Fudge started to protest.

But Luigi held up a tyre to silence her. "I don't know what is going on with Mater either, but it has nothing to do with you! What you did was just dangerous and foolish! You did not think, did you?"

Fudge hung her head guiltily. She knew he was right. It _was_ none of her business. She often stuck her nose in where it didn't belong and this was just another one of those many times. There was nothing that the human girl could think of to say. Instead, she put all of the very little energy she had left into trying not to cry. Sure, she'd been scolded for misbehaving before, but she almost never got into _this_ much trouble!

"And you will have to be punished", Luigi added.

Fudge nodded, struggling to keep her lips and chin from quivering. She couldn't say she didn't deserve it. "Okay... What's my punishment?"

Luigi sighed. It was an obviously frustrated sigh that Fudge would give anything not to hear.

"We have not decided yet", he informed his daughter. "We will let you know when we do." He gave another sigh, this one sounded exhausted. "For now, let's go back to the hotel."

Their return to the hotel was a very quiet affair. Fudge apologised to her fathers six times, but they didn't answer. She tried to think of a way to explain what had happened, but there were just no way.

But at one point, she found herself blurting out, "Someone tried to _kill_ me!"

Both of her fathers stared at her as if she'd just lost her mind. Fudge couldn't blame them.

* * *

"Lightning McQueen loses in the last lap to Francesco Bernoulli in the first race of the World Grand Prix", Brent Mustangburger announced. "And three- count 'em- three cars flamed out, leading some to suggest that their fuel, Allinol, might be to blame."

"Allinol is _safe_!" Sir Miles Axlerod insisted to the press. "Alternative fuel is _safe_! There is _no_ _way_ my fuel caused these cars to flame out!"

"Well, the jury may still be out on whether Allinol caused these accidents", Darrell Cartrip remarked, "but one thing's for sure. Lightning McQueen _blew_ this race!"

"Team McQueen can't be happy right now", Brent added.

Fudge groaned and switched off the TV, flopping back on her pillow, both physically and mentally exhausted. She was just sick of everything at that point. She was sick of nothing making any sense. She was sick of the pain that still lingered in her hand. She was sick of Luigi and Guido being mad at her. She was sick of the press treating Lightning like he was some kind of idiot. Didn't they know that everyone makes mistakes? Still, _wh_ y had he moved to the outside? To _her_ , the one thing for sure was that she had made a huge mistake in coming on this trip.

* * *

Just as she was drifting off to sleep, Fudge heard several loud bangs on the door.

" _Coming_!" she groaned, throwing off her covers and trudging towards the door, half-asleep.

And when she flung the door open, she got a very big surprise. There was Mater in tears! Fudge had _never_ seen him cry before! Not even when Doc had passed away a year ago. She'd seen him get close and later look like he _had_ been crying, but he must've done it while she wasn't around. Now, seeing him right in front of her, tears in his eyes and sobbing like a child, it seemed so foreign for the usually cheerful and playful tow truck.

"What's wrong?" Fudge wanted to know as she tried not to laugh. It wasn't that she found this funny. She just laughed whenever something (like seeing other people cry) made her uncomfortable. And if one didn't know better, one could get the wrong idea entirely.

"It's all my fault, Fudge", he sobbed as Fudge gave him a hug, which he returned.

"What is?"

"McQueen losin' the race."

"How come?"

"Well, my girlfriend was talkin' to me and tellin' me where to go... Then I said somethin' or other 'bout stayin' outside..."

Click! _Finally,_ _some_ thing made sense.

"Oh, _Mater_!" Fudge exclaimed softly.

"He was real mad!" he sobbed. "He done said he made a mistake! He meant _me_ , Fudge!"

" _Ouch_!" she cried sympathetically.

Lightning had sounded mad too. Fudge heard him earlier, talking to Luigi and Guido, who were in his hotel room, and he'd shouted, "I didn't travel who knows _how_ many miles just for Mater to screw everything up!" So, when she thought about it, she should've realised that was what had happened.

Fudge sighed. "I'm sure he didn't mean it, Mater."

"Then why did he say it?"

"He's probably just mad that he lost the race and took it out on you", Fudge explained. "I know it wasn't your fault."

Mater didn't look convinced.

"Well, if it makes you feel any better", Fudge went on, sounding downcast, "Luigi and Guido are mad at me too."

"They is?"

"Yeah... 'Cause I ran off during the race. They said they're gonna punish me."

"I'm sorry..."

"Me too."

"Ya know what?" Mater asked. "I think I made a mistake in comin' here."

Fudge sighed. "I was thinking the same thing."

"What?" Mater sounded hurt.

"Oh! No! Not about _you_. About _myself_. Nothing makes sense here. With the leaking oil and this human stalking me-"

Mater was puzzled. "What?"

Fudge explained what had happened with seeing this human woman and how she'd tried to shoot her.

"Dad-gum!" he murmured in disbelief.

"Yeah, so... I think I made a mistake in coming here too." Another sigh. "So, what are we gonna do?"

* * *

"You ready?" Fudge quizzed Mater a couple of hours later. Until recently, she'd been dressed in her pyjamas. Now, she was wearing jeans and a long-sleeved white T-shirt with small blue stripes going horizontally. She'd also just finished pulling on her socks and turquoise and lavender running shoes.

"Yeah!" The tow truck emerged from the bathroom, loaded with toiletries. "I just wanna grab some of the free snacks out the refrigerator."

Fudge blinked. "Free snacks?" Unlike Mater, she'd stayed in hotels before and knew that they were most definitely _not_ free. Still, she decided that it wasn't the right time to tell Mater that.

He shoved as much as he could into his bags. "Yep. I think I'm ready now."

"Written a note?" Fudge had written one for Luigi and Guido and was wondering if Mater would write one for Lightning.

He nodded. "Yep. It's right next to yours." He pointed to Fudge's note on top of the entertainment unit with one of his own beside it.

Fudge nodded. Then she picked up her bags and tossed the denim jacket lying on the chair over her shoulders. "All right. Let's go."


	11. It's Finn McMissile!

**I've just been so bored lately since I've finished this story and don't know what to write next (I've got ideas, but no enough to actually start writing). So, I hope you enjoy this chapter while I think about that.**

 **Chapter 11- It's Finn McMissile!**

Fudge glanced at the boarding pass she'd been given to double check what time their flight was departing. She wanted to make sure they would be on time since Mater had gotten himself distracted. She checked the time on the boarding pass and then the clock on the wall. She kinda struggled with analogue clocks, but could still tell that it was only about ten past eight. Plenty of time, she decided, tucking the boarding pass back into her pocket. She just hoped Mater would be okay.

He was gazing at a poster of Team McQueen, which was advertising the World Grand Prix and Fudge knew what he was thinking. He'd let his best friend down. In fact, almost as soon as they arrived at the airport, he'd caught sight of his reflection in a window and realised that he still had the 95 stickers on his doors. So, he got Fudge to help him peel them off and dumped them in the next trash can they saw. It was sad to see, really. Mater hardly ever got this upset.

In order to try and forget about it, she shifted her eyes to the poster where Mater was looking. That didn't work, though. She saw the huge grin on her and Mater's faces. They thought that they were gonna have a blast on this trip. Now, it seemed like she'd never been so wrong about anything in her entire life.

Well, if there was one good thing that came from leaving, it was that nothing could go wrong and nothing weird could happen... right? Well, Fudge thought what had happened so far was weird, but... as it turns out, she'd seen nothing yet!

Fudge looked around. _Oh, crap_! Mater had disappeared without her. She had to go and find him. Where did he go? Towards security, probably. Which way was that? This way. Before Fudge could take a step towards security, the Gremlin and Pacer from the night before almost ran right into her!

"Hey! _Watch_ it, human!" the Gremlin snapped.

"No one ever taught you respect for others?" the Pacer added.

And with that, they shook their hoods in disgust and drove off.

"Sorry", she mumbled, even though she wasn't. _They_ were the ones that nearly hit _her_! It wasn't fair that they accused her of being responsible! Some people were just jerks.

"Mater!" Fudge called out, spotting the tow truck at the back of a long line.

"Fudge!" Mater shouted, turning around. "I was jus' 'bout to come lookin' fer ya!"

"Well, I'm here."

She joined him in the line beside him and patted the pocket of her jeans to make sure that her boarding pass and passport were in there. She'd had to slip into the adjoining hotel room to hers and rummage through Luigi's bags to find her passport. She didn't _want_ to do it, but she had to if she wanted to get on that plane.

However, they never made it to the front of the line or on the plane because a security car approached Mater and Fudge, speaking them in Japanese before repeating his request in English.

"Come with me please, sir." He looked to Fudge and added, "You too, miss."

"Okay..." Fudge agreed, her heart beginning to pound. She figured that whatever he wanted them for, it couldn't be good. Still, she went with this car.

"But we're gonna miss our plane!" Mater protested, following the other two.

He ignored him and proceeded to usher the truck and human into a lounge. "Right this way", he instructed them.

All of a sudden, he dropped some kind of silver ball. Fudge followed it with her eyes suspiciously. What _was_ that?

"Aw, doggone it! This is about my hook, ain't it?" Mater guessed. "I know I shoulda checked it, but I can't really." He wiggled it a little. "Look. It's attached to me."

"Look, we haven't done anything wrong", Fudge insisted nervously. "We were just-"

That was when the security guard removed his disguise to reveal his true identity. It was that Faultless GT _again_!

Fudge didn't know what the odds were of running into the same person over and over again, but _this_ was getting _ridiculous_! It was starting to seem less and less like a coincidence. _What_ did this guy want from them?

"Hey! I know you!" Mater proclaimed brightly. "You're that feller from the karate demonstration!" He turned to Fudge gleefully. "Did you see that karate demonstration, Fudge?! It was so dad-gum awesome!"

Fudge gave a small smile. "Yeah. I saw it."

The Faultless GT looked from one to the other. "Yes, well, anyway... I never properly introduced myself", he informed the pair in that formal British accent of his. "Finn McMissile. British Intelligence."

Mater grinned. "Tow Mater... Average intelligence."

Fudge giggled at that, but stopped when she realised that this Finn guy was staring at her.

She stared back uncomfortably, wondering why he was doing that. "What?"

He cleared his throat. "And you are?"

"Oh!" Fudge exclaimed, realising that she hadn't introduced herself yet. "I'm Fudge Rossi-Topolino."

"Fudge?" Finn repeated. "Your name is _Fudge_?"

She nodded. "Yeah. Fudge. _Yes_ , like the candy", she added, being asked that frequently.

"Interesting..."

"Yeah. I get that a lot."

Finn cleared his throat, getting back on topic. "Who are you two with? FBI? CIA?"

 _FBI? CIA?_ Fudge scrunched up her face in utter confusion. " _What_?"

"Well, let's just say I'm Triple A affiliated", Mater responded. "You know I know some karate. I ain't braggin' or nothin', but I got me a black fan belt... Hey! You wanna see some moves I made up?"

But Finn was focused on something else. "We're being followed", he reported.

Fudge was instantly alarmed. "What?! By who?!"

She glanced around and noticed someone moving closer to them. Someone she did _not_ want to see! The human woman again! She'd just entered the lounge, patting her jeans. Fudge couldn't see the weapon, but could tell she was wearing a leather holster! Oh, boy!

Fudge leapt into Mater's truck bed to try and stay hidden (she prayed that the other human hadn't seen her yet), but she also attempted to peer out to see what Finn was doing. He released a device that was slicing through the glass of the window. Unfortunately, it got harder to see as Mater began an original karate move he'd created, aptly known as "What I Accidentally Did to My Friend, Luigi, Once".

"Wow, look", Mater announced at the end of his move, "we probably oughtta go. We're about to miss our flight."

"Don't worry", Finn assured him, pulling out his rear grappling hooks and attaching them to Mater's tow hook. "I've taken care of that!"

Both Mater and Fudge gasped.

"Hang on!" Finn shouted.

He leapt out of the window and all three of them went flying.


	12. Sayounara, Suckers!

**Wow. It hasn't even been a** ** _week_** **since I've updated this. It feels like** ** _ages_** **ago! Still, here it is!**

 **I also have a new story up. By popular demand, I've started uploading my rewrite of the first** ** _Cars_** **movie with Fudge in it. It's called** ** _Life Could Be a Dream_** **, so please check that out if you haven't done so already (if you** ** _want_** **to, that is).**

 **There is a fair bit of implied swearing in this chapter, but I've used asterisks instead of the actual words (like this: s**t). I just don't feel comfortable writing the actual words, but I imagine that the character does a lot of cursing, so...**

 **Okay, on with da show!**

 **Chapter 12-** ** _Sayonara_** **, Suckers!**

"Whoa!" Fudge hollered, closing her eyes and clinging onto the edge of Mater's truck bed for her life as she felt them sailing through the air.

Then, when they hit the ground, she bounced a little and was slammed back down hard.

" _Owww_!" she moaned as they started speeding down the runway.

"This is first-class service!" Mater declared, sounding impressed. "You don't even have to go through the terminal!" Then a moment later, he reported, "Your karate partners is back here! Kinda look like they're tryin' to catch up!"

Karate partners? Fudge turned to see that the Gremlin and Pacer were coming down the runway after them. Where was that human? Fudge took a quick scan of the area, but she couldn't see her.

"Drive forward!" Finn instructed. " _Whatever you do, don't stop_!"

"Whoa!" Fudge shouted again as Finn skidded, causing Mater to whirl around.

Now, Mater was towing Finn across the runway. Good thing too. After what she'd seen him do the night before, Fudge was certain that Finn could eliminate their pursuers.

The next five minutes were packed with more thrilling action than Fudge had ever witnessed in her entire life. It all just happened so fast that Fudge barely had time to take one thing in before another occurred. The first thing was Mater nearly driving right into the path of a plane trying to take off. The Gremlin narrowly avoided the plane as well. And was aiming a rocket launcher right at them!

Luckily, Finn knew just what to do. He released some kind of jack that lifted this Gremlin up and tipped him sideways. He was knocked onto his roof and still ended up launching the missile.

"Incoming!" Fudge yelped as it headed straight for them!

But again, Finn knew exactly what he was doing. He intercepted it with a missile of his own.

 **BOOM!** The two missiles collided and caused a massive explosion!

"Holy moly!" Fudge shrieked, ducking down until the intense inferno had died down. "This is _insane_!" She'd always kinda wanted to look cool, walking away from an explosion like people did in movies, but based on how she was feeling in that moment, she knew that that would _never_ happen.

"Is everythin' okay back there?!" Mater called.

"I don't think so!" Fudge responded.

"Finn, it's Sid", another British accent radioed. "I'm on approach."

"Roger that", Finn replied.

Fudge glanced up to see a sleek, silver jet soaring above them. But there was someone else taking to the skies. A black helicopter. That wasn't the issue, but who was _in_ the helicopter was what scared Fudge. She stood on the edge of her helicopter, the wind blowing her rainbow hair behind her. Now, she didn't have just a regular gun, but a rocket launcher of her own!

"All right, you son of a b**ch!" she muttered, angling the launcher just right. "I got you right where I want you!"

 _Oh, God!_ Fudge thought, her heart thumping even more than it already was.

"Uh... Finn?!" she called fearfully.

"What is it?!" he demanded.

She pointed upwards. "Aerial attack!"

Thank Chrysler Finn was cool, calm and collected. He shot out another missile. The bad news was that the human leapt out of the helicopter just in time and _he_ got out of the way, the missile just barely tapping into him and sending him spinning (but it looked like he was going to live, Finn had noted ruefully). The good news was that the explosion threw the human off their tail and she wasn't chasing them anymore! Fudge was relieved that they were gone, but another explosion had given her a serious fright.

She had a little bit of a rough landing, but the human woman was relatively unharmed. She stared at the explosion in shock.

"Holy _s**t_!" she gasped.

She stood up and brushed dust off of her clothes. _You may have gotten away_ this _time_. _But I_ _got a job to do, promises to keep, people to honour and asses to kick! And I won't rest till I_ _take every last one of you sons of b**ches down!_ she thought to herself determinedly.

"You 'member that whole thing about me not stoppin' no matter what?" Mater piped up abruptly.

"Now what?!" Fudge groaned, rolling over to peer out the other side where Mater was looking.

There was the Pacer, towing a baggage train right in their path!

"Uh-oh!" Fudge murmured.

The plane above them shot out bullets, which caused Fudge to duck again. Next thing she knew, the carts had blown apart, allowing them to tear right through.

"I knew I shoulda done carry-on!" Mater remarked loudly.

"Ow!" Fudge shouted as some piece of luggage or something hit her in the back of the head.

"Thanks, old boy!" Finn called to the jet that flew in low over the trio and landed right in front of them.

"You got it, mate!" he responded.

"Hey!" Mater exclaimed out of nowhere ecstatically. "Doggone it! Look! It's my imaginary girlfriend!"

"Come on! Get _in_ here!" she instructed Mater hurriedly.

But did he listen? _No_!

"Boy, I tell you what! You really do want this first, don't ya? That's a no-quit attitude right there!"

"Mater!" Fudge shrieked hysterically. "For the love of Chrysler, just _get on the plane_! I kinda wanna... you know... _not_ die right now!"

All of a sudden, bullets came out from somewhere behind Mater.

"What the?" he questioned, clearly puzzled, but still surprisingly calm.

The Pacer was back and showering bullets across the runway. One even got the tyre of the jet!

" _Again_?!" Fudge took cover once more.

"Hold on, Sid!" Finn called to him as they rolled onto the grass by the runway.

The Pacer followed and kept shooting. Until Finn produced a gun of his own. After a couple of shots, Finn got him right in the tyre. His tyre popped and was sent skidding off the runway. As if that wasn't good enough, he flew up a ramp onto a plane, went flying through the plane and landed on the other side. In the lavatory services! Despite how scared she was, Fudge had to laugh. She definitely did _not_ wanna be that Pacer!

" _Sayonara_ , sucker!" she hollered, giggling.

"Come on, Finn!" the spy jet called as he neared a fence. "It's now or never!"

Finn spun around once more, so he was facing the front again.

"This is making my head spin!" Fudge declared as she whirled around again. It felt like some kind of crazy carnival ride.

Finn drove up the ramp to join the magenta sports car inside the plane.

"Hold on!" the jet cried as, with Mater and Fudge still hanging off the edge of the ramp, he lifted off into the air.

" **WHOA! WHOA! WHOA! WHOA!** " Fudge yelled, holding onto the side of Mater's truck bed for her life, looking down in fear as the ground below got smaller and smaller. She kicked her legs rapidly in her panic and didn't stop till Mater was completely on board the plane. She wasn't afraid of _heights_ , per se, but she _was_ afraid of falling to her death.

Meanwhile…

Knock, knock! Knock, knock!

"Fudgie?"

No answer.

Luigi sighed. "Fudge, I know you are upset about last night, but you have to understand that we were just worried about you."

Still no answer.

Another sigh came from the Fiat. "Fine. It is okay if you don't want to talk right now, but can you please just let me know that you are _listening_?"

The other side of the door remained silent.

Luigi wasn't sure if Fudge was still asleep or simply ignoring him. "Fudge, I am coming in", he announced, opening the door to find the shock of his life.

His daughter was gone! So was Mater! The bed was made very roughly (Fudge wasn't exactly the neatest person in the world). The fridge and the "free" snack cabinet were completely empty. All of their luggage was gone and Luigi spied several sheets of paper left on top of the entertainment unit. That could only mean one thing!

"Oh, _Fudgie_!" Luigi cried, gathering up all of the pieces of paper.

"Have any of you guys seen Mater?" Lightning quizzed Luigi, Guido, Sarge and Fillmore later when they all met up.

That was it. Both Luigi and Guido burst into tears, thinking about Fudge.

The other three all looked their way suspiciously.

"What?" Lightning questioned. "What's wrong?"

"Fudge is gone!" Luigi announced, sobbing. "So is Mater!"

"Gone?" Sarge repeated. "What do you mean gone?"

"Fudge left a note."

"What does it say?" Lightning wanted to know.

Luigi took another look at his daughter's note. She had big, kinda messy handwriting and the fact that she had a habit of going over her letters multiple times made it all the more difficult to read. Still, Luigi was long used to it and could read it just fine. So, he read it out loud to the rest of his friends.

 _To Luigi and Guido_ ,

 _Mater wanted to go home after what happened during the race and I decided to go with_ _him. Nothing makes sense here_.

 _I also want to let you know that I'm really sorry about last night. You guys were right. I_ _should've minded my own business and never should've run off. I'm not mad at you guys_ _and_ _will accept whatever punishment you decide to give me. I deserve it_.

 _I love you and I will miss you so much, but I never should've come on this trip. Everything's_ _weird and I don't think I can stay. So, I will see you when you get back to Radiator Springs_.

 _Lots of love_ ,

 _Your daughter, Fudge Rossi-Topolino_.

 _XOXO_

"Mater was leaving _too_?!" Lightning asked.

Luigi swallowed a sob as he pushed forward some more pieces of paper. "We found a note from Mater too for you. We have not read it yet."

Lightning wasn't sure if he wanted to read it, but at the same time, he felt he had to. Reluctantly, he took the note from Luigi and read it out loud.

 _Dear Lightning McQueen_ ,

 _By the time you read this, Fudge and I will be safely on an aeroplane flying home. I'm so_ _sorry_ _for what I did. I don't want to be the cause of you losing any more races. I want you to_ _go_ _prove to the world what I already know: that you are the greatest race car in the whole wide_ _world_.

 _Your best friend_ ,

 _Mater._

"I didn't really want him to leave", Lightning murmured.

"Wait. There's more here", Luigi informed him, sniffling. He proceeded to read a PS on a separate sheet of paper. "PS Please tell the hotel I didn't mean to order that movie. I thought it was just a preview and I didn't realise I was paying for it." Then he pushed a bunch more aside, realising that... "There's-a a few more pages of PSs here."

"Well, at least we know if they're at home, they'll be safe", Lightning remarked, the others nodding in agreement.

Luigi tried to stop crying. "Yes. I am sure you are right", he admitted. "I am just going to miss Fudgie so much!"

"Yeah, but don't worry, man", Fillmore instructed the yellow Fiat casually. "Mater and Fudge'll be fine."

 **Another chapter published! Yes. In my version, Luigi and Guido are crying over Fudge, not Mater. I figured it kinda made sense. You know, considering how Fudge is their daughter and all... And now, they're out of Tokyo. We're really getting into the movie now. Speaking of Tokyo in the** ** _Cars_** **universe, you know what I think would be kinda cool? In the movie and end credits, they have Mater puns like Mater-hosen and the Mater-horn. Well, if Fudge was a canon character (I wish!), what if Mount Fuji was Mount Fudgie? Wouldn't that be cool? Welcome to my weird mind.**

 **Lastly, I do have couple of quick questions and I'd really appreciate any answers. (I've posted these questions on my latest chapter of** ** _Life Could Be a Dream_** **as well, but I'm putting them here as well, in case you missed them.)**

 **First of all, do you guys want me to update this story and** ** _Life Could Be a Dream_** **simultaneously or do you want me to hold off on this one and finish that one first since it comes first chronologically? I'm perfectly happy to do it either way because both stories are written (though I may make some minor adjustments).**

 **The other thing is... Okay. I definitely wanna write Fudge in** ** _Cars 3_** **(with my other two finished, I've been really bored and don't know what to write! XD) and, from what I've heard, you guys want that too. Only thing is I've been struggling to come up with ideas on how to go about it? Is there anything any of you particularly wanna see happen in that? I did have some ideas, but haven't been able to think of how they would work.**

 **I think that's it apart from review (and if you have answers to my questions, please provide them) and I hope to see you all soon for chapter thirteen! Fudge.**


	13. Collision of Worlds

**I'm back! I would've gotten here earlier, but, in order to prevent myself from rushing with the updates and not having any reviews to look forward to, I decided to hold off any updating until February. It was pretty damn tempting, though. Anyway, here I am and I really hope you enjoy the next chapter of** ** _When Life Gives You Lemons_** **.**

 **Chapter 13- Collision of Worlds**

"That was..." Fudge began. She trailed off. There was no way she'd ever be able to describe how she felt about what had just happened.

They had just gotten on board the plane and were settling into the cabin. As she scrambled out of Mater's truck bed with her backpack (she was worried that she'd lost it during the ordeal, but it was safely in the truck bed beside her), Fudge tried to control her breathing and slow it down a little bit. It helped when she got into a seat. It had originally been one for cars, but Finn had transformed it into one for humans! The girl had to do a double take before she sat down.

"Are you all right?" Finn asked her.

She nodded, starting to breathe a little more normally. "Yeah. I think I'm okay... Just wasn't expecting something like that, that's all."

"I'm assuming you're new to the field too?" the magenta sports car questioned, looking her up and down.

"Yeah..." Fudge replied, thinking, _Yeah._ Very _new_. "That was just... _insane_!"

"Now, that's how I like to start a day", Finn declared. "You never feel more alive than when you're almost dead."

"Yeah..." Fudge agreed. As shaken up as she was, she had to admit that she _did_ feel alive. She tossed her backpack on the floor beside her. "So, where are we going now?"

Finn didn't answer.

"Yeah", the sports car echoed, only she didn't sound so sure.

"Who _were_ those guys anyway?" Fudge wanted to know.

Finn gave her an odd look. "They're the ones who are behind all this."

"Behind all what?"

"Well, I hope that device didn't fall off", the sports car commented before Finn could say anything else (though he _did_ give Fudge another odd look). She pressed a button to spin Mater's chair around and she retrieved something off of his undercarriage.

"Hey! These seats can _move_!" Fudge exclaimed. "That is _so cool_! How do _I_ do that?!" She hit a button on her chair and slid uncontrollably to the left. "Never mind. I got it!" She moved back to the right. "Whoa! _Whoa_! This is _awesome_!"

"Still in one piece!" the sports car announced, holding up the small item. "Great."

"I gotta go to a doctor", Mater remarked as the sports car moved away to put the device into a computer. "I keep gettin' these sharp pains in my undercarriage!"

"Are you okay?" Fudge questioned, concerned.

He nodded. "Yeah. Just hurts a little."

"Downloading the photo now", the sports car reported.

"Hey! Let me introduce you two!" Mater spoke up. "This here is Finn McSomethin'-Or-Other. He's a first-class VIP airport whatchamacallit. And Finn, Fudge, this here is my date." He looked to the sports car. So did everyone else. Finn looked amused. The sports car herself appeared to be confused. Fudge was both. (It seemed that these two already knew each other.) "I never did get yer name", Mater added.

"Oh, yes, sorry", she apologised politely. "It's Shiftwell. Holley Shiftwell."

"It's Shiftwell", Mater repeated. "Holley-"

He was interrupted by a device appearing over the roof to make the cabin dark.

"What's going on?" Fudge wondered.

"Finally", Finn announced. "Time to see who's behind all this."

A picture popped up on a holographic screen in between Mater and Fudge and Finn and Holley. It didn't look like a car. It didn't look like _anything_.

"What _is_ this?" Holley questioned and Fudge was wondering the same thing.

Mater tilted to the side a little to look at it from a different angle. "Well, that's one of the worst engines ever made", he explained and when Holley shifted the angle, so that it was landscape rather than portrait. _Now_ it looked a lot more like an engine. "It's an old aluminium V8 with a Lucas electrical system and Whitworth bolts. Shoot, them Whitworth bolts is a pain, tell you what. They ain't metric, they ain't inches."

Holley nodded. "Yes. Okay, right. But whose engine _is_ this, Mater?"

"Well, it's kinda hard to tell from this picture, ain't it?" Mater reasoned.

"But you're the one who took it!" Holley responded.

"Wait!" Fudge jumped in, puzzled. " _What_?!"

Nobody seemed to hear her because Finn spoke at the same time. "Holley."

"Oh, right!" Holley realised. "Yes. Of course! A good agent gets what he can and gets out before he's killed. Sorry."

"Agent?" Mater blinked. "You mean like insurance agent?" Then Fudge practically saw the light going off in his head. "Wait! You mean _secret_ agent! You guys is spies!"

Fudge was slightly surprised that this had only just occurred to Mater. She also couldn't believe that they obviously thought that _they_ were spies! This had to be some kind of joke... right? She was half-expecting to hear hysterical laughter to ring out from somewhere any second and a TV crew to appear from the next room, revealing this whole thing to be a prank. It didn't happen, though.

There was no way that she'd be able to help them with this mission! Holley did some researching and reported that there were at least thirty-five thousand cars made with the engine in question (oh, boy!).

Out of nowhere, Mater pushed through the screen. "You're purty!"

Holley didn't seem too impressed. "Yes, all right. Thank you."

"And _sooooooooooooooooo niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiice_!" he added.

Fudge giggled.

"Let's pay attention!"

Holley brought the photo forward again, only for Mater to keep moving around to look at her. Finally, she had to make it larger in order to get Mater to stop.

And these guys thought that _they_ were _spie_ s!

"This seems like a dead end", Finn commented unhappily.

"I take it this was supposed to have answers, not more questions?" Fudge guessed.

Finn nodded, seemingly deep in thought (too deep in thought to take note of Fudge talking like this was the first time she'd seen the photo). "If there was something in the photo that could narrow this down a bit, I'd be a lot happier."

"You might not be happy, but I bet this feller is!" Mater jumped in.

"Yeah, but not for long", Fudge chimed in with a grin. "'Cause he's gonna go to jail or something, right?"

Finn ignored her. "What do you mean, Mater?"

"See how he's had most of his parts replaced?" Mater pointed out. "And see all them boxes over there? Them's all original parts. They ain't easy to come by."

"Rare parts?" Holley questioned.

"That's something we could track!" Finn noted excitedly.

"Exactly!" Holley agreed.

The screen disappeared and the windows opened. Fudge blinked and shielded her eyes, trying to adjust to the light.

"Well done, Mater. I would never have seen that." Finn sounded genuinely impressed. "I know of a black market parts dealer in Paris, a treacherous low life. But he's the only car in the world who could tell us whose engine this is." He turned to the tow truck and human girl. "Mater, Fudge, what would you say to setting up an informal task force on this one?"

"Wait... What?" Mater asked.

"Too many big words", Fudge added, which made Finn chuckle. "I actually have _no_ experience!" she added.

"Well, Mater, _you_ obviously have plenty of experience in the field", Finn remarked.

"Well, yeah, I live right next to one!"

That made Fudge giggle again.

"And Fudge", the Faultless GT went on. "Perhaps you don't have as much experience, but you are working alongside who I am sure is one of your finest agents. Just keep that in mind and apply what you learned in the academy and I'm sure you'll be fine."

"Yeah, well..." She gestured to herself and Mater. "We're not who you think we are."

Finn smiled. "Right... You know, I have to say that you two have one of the most brilliant covers I have seen. I have never seen anything like it." He glanced at Mater. "The detail on that rust." He looked to Fudge. "And you. You look like a real child. It's just brilliant!"

"Um... that's because I _am_ a real child."

Finn gave her a small smile, clearly not understanding. "Right."

Fudge looked to Mater and waved her hand over her head, meaning that Finn didn't understand. The only reason Fudge was familiar with the gesture was that quite a few humans had done it, referring to _her_.

"What do you say?" Finn urged them.

Mater sighed. "I don't know, Finn. I ain't exactly been much help to anybody recently."

"Yeah and I haven't been any help to anybody ever", Fudge added, thinking of how clumsy and dependent she was on the rest of her family.

"You're helping _me_ ", Finn insisted, though he seemed to be talking to more to Mater than to Fudge. "Please."

"Well..." Mater considered.

The two glanced at each other uncertainly. Fudge _really_ didn't think that this was such a good idea. Maybe _they_ thought that she and Mater were spies, but _she knew_ that they weren't. She had no idea what she was doing. Sure, she and Mater sometimes played Secret Agents back home in Radiator Springs, but she knew for sure that this was _not_ the same thing. This was gonna be _very_ dangerous...

On the other hand, it _did_ sound like an exciting adventure! She'd get to travel around the world like she wanted (she'd always wanted to go to Paris!). Besides, maybe she'd get some answers to what was going on. Plus, with this human stalking her, she figured she'd be safer around Finn, who obviously knew what he was doing. What if she was followed back to Radiator Springs? Not good. And anyway, Finn and Holley obviously though that they were spies. They couldn't just say no when there were Chrysler knew _how_ many lives at stake... Could they?

Still... No. No. Probably not a good idea. They could easily get killed. Or worse... kidnapped and tortured and _then_ killed. What would Luigi and Guido and everyone do then? She remembered how awful Doc's death was and how much it had rocked all of Radiator Springs. Fudge didn't want her family to go through that all over again. Especially only a year on right when it seemed like they were all finally healing... No. No, not a good idea at all.

"Okay", Mater agreed.

" _What_?!" Fudge exploded.

"But you know I'm just a tow truck, right?" Mater continued before anybody could respond to Fudge's outburst.

"And that _I'm_ just a kid", Fudge added.

" _Right_ ", Finn replied sarcastically with a smile. "And I'm just in the import-export business."

"Uh..." Fudge wasn't sure what to say.

It didn't matter anyway. Finn had moved away to speak to the jet they were riding in. "Siddeley?" he called.

"Yes, Finn?" the jet (evidently named Siddeley) replied.

"Paris!" Finn requested their destination. " _Tout de suite_."

"Yeah, two of them sweets for me too, Sid!" Mater shouted.

Fudge laughed. It wasn't a giggle like she'd been doing before, but a real laugh. And she was laughing _with_ Mater, not _at_ him.

The tow truck looked back to Holley with a grin. "You know, I've always wanted to be a spy."

"Really?" she asked. "Me too."

"Afterburners, sir?" Sid questioned Finn.

"Is there any other way?"

As Siddeley activated the afterburners, thrusting forward, Fudge shook her head. "I can't believe I'm doing this!"

 **Oh yeah! They're on their way to Paris now! Fudge was a bit more reluctant than Mater, but at any rate, she's part of the mission.**

 **I've included two original chapters as part of their time in Paris as well as meeting Tomber. One of them is just a filler chapter and the other was supposed to be a filler chapter... until I got this idea for a shocking scene, which I'm** ** _hoping_** **makes sense. So, stay tuned for that.**


	14. Bonjour, Paris

**Okay. So, this is just another filler chapter. I know it seems like there are a lot of those, but, like I said, I wanna try and include as many original scenes as I can. I don't want you guys to think that there's no point in reading this because you've seen** ** _Cars 2_** **. I decided to get this up quickly because there's not a lot of action. Or any, really. But even so, I hope you enjoy it.**

 **Chapter 14- Bonjour, Paris**

Thanks to Siddeley's afterburners, the two spies and the two "spies" arrived in Paris in no time. Luckily, there was enough time for Fudge to get the gist of what was going on during this particular mission. A group of villains led by an unknown leader had created a World Grand Prix TV camera, which was somehow being used as a weapon. What it did, however, they weren't sure just yet, but Fudge was nervous that they were trying to sabotage the race that her brother was competing in. She just hoped that he would be okay.

And apparently, the photo of the engine was supposed to reveal the mystery leader, who was running the entire operation, but like Fudge said, it left them with more questions than answers. That was why they were going to Paris. To find the answers that they were looking for.

"Wow!" Fudge exclaimed once they disembarked Siddeley and made their way towards the city streets. "I can't believe it! We're in _Paris_! This is so cool! I've always wanted to come here!" (Fudge had owned an atlas for quite a long time and, after spending ages looking at different countries and cities, really wanted to go to a _lot_ of places). "The Eiffel Tower, crepes, the Catacombs..."

Finn had overheard what she was talking about "That's not why we're here, Fudge", he informed her in a deadpan, not even bothering to turn around and look at her.

Fudge hung her head guiltily. "Yeah. I know." She turned back to Mater and mumbled, "Party pooper", nodding in the direction of Finn, making both of them giggle.

But hey, at least she got the chance to see the Eiffel Tower. That was something she had always wanted to see. Fudge sat in the back of Mater's truck bed, looking around at this amazing city. She still had her phone (brand new for the WGP trip, so she could use it in emergencies) in her backpack, so she used it to take photos. She wasn't exactly the best photographer and a lot of them were blurry, but at least you could tell what they were supposed to be of.

"This is just so awesome!" she cried, unable to contain her excitement as she snapped photo after photo. "Just wait till the others find out that _we've_ been _here_!"

"Yeah, they'll be so dad-gum happy fer us!" Mater agreed.

She also made sure to include herself and Mater in some of the pictures to prove that they were really there and not just taken off the Internet or something with her claiming that they'd been to Paris.

There were mimes, artists and they went past the Louvre. They didn't have any time to go _in_ and have a look, obviously, but Fudge still thought that it was pretty cool that she'd _seen_ it.

Yet after what Finn had told her and her fearful thoughts on board the plane, Fudge just couldn't rid herself of the fact that this wasn't a vacation. Or even a simple business trip. This was an international spy mission.

"Hey! Mater!" Fudge hissed to her friend once she was positive that Holley and Finn couldn't hear them. After all, they _were_ a fair bit behind.

"Yeah, Fudge?"

"I need to ask you an important question."

"Shoot, whatcha wanna ask?" Mater wanted to know.

"What are we doing?"

"We're on a secret mission!" Mater cried. Holley and Finn turned to stare at him, but, fortunately, nobody else did.

"Mater, we shouldn't be doing this!" Fudge murmured.

Confusion took over the tow truck's face. "Why not?"

Then he caught a glimpse of the fear evident in the child's eyes. Mater and Fudge shared a lot of pretty similar personality traits. Both the human girl and tow truck were clumsy, naïve, easily distracted, loud, talkative and albeit a little immature. However, they were also both kind, loyal, honest, goofy and energetic. Still, they did have _some_ differences in their characteristics like Fudge was a lot more shy, sensitive and reserved than Mater. So, he could easily understand why she was afraid to be where she was.

"Look, this isn't like those games we played back in Radiator Springs", Fudge reminded him. "This is real stuff! We don't belong here! I'm really scared here!"

"So..." Mater's face fell. "So, you're sayin' this ain't Radiator Springs?"

Fudge nodded seriously. "That's exactly what I'm saying."

Mater lowered his hood. He remembered Lightning saying the exact same thing to him and meant he should act different. He didn't realise that Fudge only meant, _Be careful_ _because we don't know what to expect_.

"Well, what is we gonna do?" Mater questioned.

Fudge ripped open a Snickers bar she'd found in her backpack and thought about it as she chewed. "We- _ell_ ", she began, her mouth still full, "I guess we can't just ditch Holley and Finn. Especially if they think we're spies. Let's just stay with 'em for now and try to convince 'em we aren't spies. If we can, then we can head home or to the next race or something. We'll figure that part out when- or _if_ \- we get to it."

"Okay", Mater agreed, nodding. It seemed like a good plan and he couldn't come up with a better one.

"I just want you to promise me one, no _two_ things."

Mater looked at her curiously. "What's that?"

"Be careful and that we stick together- no matter what."

"You got it, Fudge", Mater promised sincerely. He could tell how afraid Fudge was about all of this. "I won't let nothin' happen to ya."

"Good because Luigi and Guido would tear you apart if you did", Fudge joked, referring to just how protective her adoptive fathers were of her, which was a _lot_.

Mater laughed. So did Fudge. She didn't know about Mater, but to her, the laughter felt good. While she was still afraid about what could possibly happen, it was good to know that she had her older brother by her side.

 **How was that? Good? I hope so.**

 **Hey! On my profile under "Latest News", I decided to put in a "Coming Soon" bit. So, if you wanna find out what I've got planned for future fan fics, feel free to check it out.**

 **I don't think there's anything to add, so... Bye!**


	15. Every Villain is Lemons

**Happy Valentine's Day! Here is my present to all of you to celebrate my love for** ** _Cars_** **and FFN and the people on it! I'm back with a new chapter for both** ** _When Life Gives You Lemons_** **and** ** _Life Could Be a Dream_** **! So, I hope you guys all enjoy both of those!**

 **Not much to this one, though they do find some answers like in the movie. Also, kudos if you get the reference for the name of this chapter. (I felt like it fit very well with this chapter.)**

 **Chapter 15- Every Villain is Lemons**

As they drove along, Finn gave Holley instructions on how to act and what to do. Mater was behind and kept hiding behind Dumpsters, with Fudge still in his truck bed.

"Mater? Fudge?" Finn called.

"Yeah, Finn?" the two answered in unison.

"We're not here to go shopping", Finn informed them both.

Sure enough, Fudge looked around to see a market of car parts! This was probably where they'd find this car who would help them find out who was behind all this. The market was almost overwhelming. The shouts of, "Parts for sale!" came out from all directions and rung in Fudge's ears.

"Dad-gum! You gotta be kiddin'!" Mater exclaimed. "They got everythin' here!"

He was especially impressed by the hoods, but Finn hurried him along.

Mater was right. They _did_ seem to have everything at this market. Everything for cars, anyway. There was even a car that had eyes in her headlights! Fudge and Mater both found her appearance rather alarming and Mater drove away quickly. When they caught up with the other two, Finn was hiding behind a corner. Fudge guessed that they were close to this car.

"Man, there is some great bargains here!" Mater yelled.

"Mater, get back!" Finn hissed.

It was too late. The car, a dark blue one with three wheels, stopped his conversation and looked over at Mater. Then he noticed Finn and shot off.

Finn took off after him and so did Holley.

"Hey! Wait for me!" Mater called, following them.

"You mean, 'Wait for _us'_!" Fudge reminded him that she was still in the truck bed- and she was glad she was. There was no way she could catch up if she was on her own feet.

Finally, they caught up to Finn and this other car and a misunderstanding led Holley to electrocute him.

"Have you lost your mind?" Finn snapped.

"But I thought-" Holley began.

"Mater, this chap needs a tow!" Finn ordered. "Hook him up!"

"Well, sure thing!"

"You rusty piece of junk!" the three-wheeled car yelled in a French accent. "Get your dirty hook off me!" He didn't appear to be very happy, but Fudge couldn't blame him. _She_ wouldn't exactly be in a good mood either if she'd just been electrocuted.

By this point, Fudge had jumped out of Mater's truck bed and was walking. A little unsteadily at first as she had been sat down for so long. They headed into a dark garage to talk in private. Finn kicked a car out and let the others in. As soon as Fudge scurried in, Finn closed the door and the five of them held a secret conversation.

Finn introduced the car as his informant, Tomber and explained that they've known each other for a long time, having first saved Tomber while he was doing a twenty year to life sentence in a Moroccan impound.

"All right. We get it", Holley intervened. "You both know each other, you're both old."

Tomber made a face (he was still angry over being electrocuted) and Fudge giggled.

"There you go, informant", she snapped, showing Tomber the image of the engine on her computer. " _Inform us_."

As it turns out, Tomber could only confirm what Mater had previously told them about the engine. Additionally, he could tell them that he sold these parts, but had no idea who he was selling them to. It was his best customer, who always did his business over the phone.

"Well, a Lemon needs parts", Mater remarked. "Ain't nothin' truer than that."

Tomber nodded in agreement.

"Lemon?" Finn echoed, puzzled.

"Yeah, you know, cars that don't ever work right", Mater explained. "Like them Gremlins and Pacers we run into at the party and the race and the airport."

Fudge, who was stood between Mater and Finn, nodded in agreement, feeling rather, well, useless. She was familiar with the term _Lemon_ , thanks to Mater, but still she said nothing. Mater had as much spy experience as she did, yet he was making himself useful, whereas she wasn't. She felt like she was being ignored by everyone else, but Fudge honestly couldn't say she blamed them. She just listened in on this conversation like she was watching a movie. She could see and hear what was going on, but she wasn't really there. Fudge just looked at whoever was talking, causing her head to bounce around and she got a little dizzy.

Beginning to sense a trend, Finn ordered Holley to pull up pictures from an oil platform to confirm if the other types of cars there were also Lemons, which, indeed, they were. Eastern European models, Hugos and Trunkovs, were definitely Lemons.

"Finn, everyone involved in this plot is one of history's biggest loser cars", Holley announced.

"And they're all taking their orders from the car behind this engine", Finn added.

"Wait a sec!" Fudge cried, speaking for the first time in this conversation. She spoke quickly to get in before anybody else and contribute to the discussion at least once.

"What is it?" Finn questioned.

"They're all history's biggest loser cars", Fudge commented. "And they're cars that don't ever work right... Don't you think that could maybe be a... a... What's the word?"

"Motive?" Finn suggested.

The eleven-year-old nodded. "Yeah. Motive."

Finn thought about that. "I suppose it's possible."

"After all", Fudge went on, "they're targeting _race cars_ , who obviously work right. Maybe they're jealous or something."

Finn nodded. "It's possible... Especially looking at this engine. Life made him a Lemon, so he's made Lemons his aid."

Tomber's eyes widened. "This explains it!"

"What, Tomber?" Finn wanted to know."

"Gremlin, Pacer, Hugo and Trunkov _never_ get together", Tomber informed the group. "But they _are_ having a secret meeting in two days!"

"Where's this meeting taking place?" Finn demanded.

"Porto Corsa, Italy", he replied.

"That's where the next race is!" Mater realised.

"On the same _day_!" Fudge chimed in quickly. "Which makes sense if they're trying to sabotage the race!"

Finn gave her a small smile. "Right. Then there's a good chance our mystery engine will be there too."

"Your chances are more than good", Tomber assured them. "I just sent him a new clutch assembly yesterday. To Porto Corsa."

" **BOOM!** " Fudge exclaimed.

 **So, they got some of the answers they were looking for. In the next chapter, more information about the stalker is revealed in one of the most intense ways possible. I hope you're all ready for that. If not, at least you have some time to prepare...**


	16. A Night in Paris

**So, guys, here I am! Back with a new chapter under a new name! (Though you could probably figure out that it was me because it was only a minor adjustment.)**

 **This was originally supposed to be your typical, action-free filler chapter, but then I got this idea to reveal more information about the stalker. So, I hope you all enjoy what's about to happen.**

 **Chapter 16- A Night in Paris**

By the time they'd finished with Tomber, darkness had rolled over the city of Paris and it had started to rain. Fudge didn't really mind, though. She liked the rain. She just wished that she had a warmer jacket. As much as she liked her denim jacket, it didn't do much to keep her warm.

"So, what do we do now?" Fudge wondered, climbing back into Mater's truck bed.

After learning about this big, secret Lemon meeting, Finn had instructed Holley to contact Stephenson- a spy train, who worked for their agency- who would meet them at Gare de Lyon to take them to Porto Corsa.

Finn turned to Holley. "Miss Shiftwell? When did Stephenson say we could expect him to be at Gare de Lyon?"

"First thing in the morning", she reported.

"So, what do we do now?" Fudge repeated.

Finn sighed. "Well, I don't suppose we're going to accomplish much else today..." he commented ruefully.

"Well, we already _have_ made a lot of progress today", Fudge pointed out.

Finn brightened a little. "That's true..."

All of a sudden, the rain really started to pick up.

"Well, first thing's first", Holley spoke up. "Let's get out of this rain!"

"Good idea!"

They soon found themselves at a local, old-fashioned coffee shop where they got an excellent view of the Eiffel Tower lit up against the night sky and Fudge had taken the opportunity to take photos of the famous tower. Finn and Holley were the only ones who got coffee from said coffee shop. Mater got a can of oil and Fudge got some hot cocoa. She didn't particularly like hot drinks, but when it was really cold, she enjoyed some nice cocoa every now and then. They also got a bunch of pastries, which were devoured in no time.

When Fudge took her first sip, she felt kind of relaxed. She hadn't felt this relaxed in a long time. First, there was Doc's death the year before, which she didn't handle very well. Then she'd been thinking a lot more about her biological parents after he died. After _that_ was her initial excitement over the World Grand Prix followed by her worry and suspicion when nothing made sense. It felt good to be more relaxed.

"This is nice", she commented, taking another sip and reaching for another pastry.

"Yeah!" Mater agreed.

Finn nodded absently.

"So..." Fudge tried to make conversation, but she had no idea what to say. "We're heading to Porto Corsa tomorrow?"

Finn gave her an odd look. "Yes. You know that."

"Hey!" Mater exclaimed abruptly, grinning broadly. "If we is goin' to Porto Corsa, maybe I can talk to McQueen."

Both Finn and Holley gave _Mater_ an odd look. "What for?" they asked in unison.

"Well, Lightnin' McQueen is my best friend in the whole wide world." His smile faded. "Well, he _was_. We done had a fight... And I wanna tell him how sorry I am."

There was a pause.

"Wait", Holley began. "You mean-"

"It's his cover", Finn cut her off.

Fudge couldn't believe that they still thought that they were spies!

"You know... We're not actually-" Fudge stopped short, spotting a familiar human, and gasped, her relaxed feeling vanishing instantly. "Oh, my God!"

She ducked under the table in front of her, ignoring the strange looks from the locals.

"What is it?!" Finn demanded.

"I think my stalker's here!"

"Your stalker?" Finn echoed in confusion.

Fudge nodded. "Yeah. Her." She pointed out the tall, rainbow-haired woman. "She's been following me a lot since the party in Japan. She tried to _shoot_ me-"

"Holley!" Finn interrupted hurriedly. "Let me see those photos from the oil platform again!"

Holley obeyed without question and Finn examined them carefully.

"That's her!" Finn pointed out and Fudge saw what he'd just seen. In the corner of the photo, there was that human woman on the oil platform.

"What is she doing here?" Holley wondered.

"How did she know we were here?" Fudge wanted to know. _Because she's a_ stalker _!_ the human girl told herself.

"Is she alone?" Finn asked himself.

For a couple of seconds, it looked like she was. Until several black Gremlins and Pacers entered the coffee shop behind her.

"What are they up to?" Finn murmured, pulling out a gun as discreetly as possible.

"What's going on?" Fudge questioned anxiously, peeking out ever so slightly from her spot under the table.

The human woman ordered a coffee and sat down with it. Some of the Lemons got coffee too (being very rude about it!), one of them used the bathroom and they left.

"That was... unusual", Finn commented suspiciously.

"At least they didn't attack us", Fudge declared.

But she had forgotten something. The human still hadn't left. As if Fudge had jinxed it, she got up and approached the group. Fudge felt her heart rate increase rapidly. Her stalker opened her mouth to speak, but before any words could come out of her mouth...

The doors to the bathroom flung open and a maroon French car came flying out, screaming and colliding into a waiter, a white forklift, causing him to spill the content of his food everywhere.

The waiter started shouting at the car until the car shrieked out one French word that sent everyone into a mass panic. They all started screaming and fleeing to the door.

"What did he say?!" Fudge quizzed Finn hysterically as she crawled out from under the table. "What's going on?!"

Finn's only response was, "We need to get everyone out of here! _Now_!"

Without having any time to think, Fudge leapt up onto her feet and followed the three cars she'd come with.

Finn stayed by the double doors, making sure everyone got out. The other three all did the same. It didn't seem to require very much effort on their part with all of the cars racing out as fast as they possibly could.

"Is that everyone?!" Holley questioned.

"What about the chefs?!" Finn asked hurriedly. "I haven't seen any of them get out!"

"Maybe there's a back door!" Fudge suggested.

"I hope so!" Finn remarked. "I'll go and see! The rest of you, get out!"

"Finn-" Holley started to protest.

"Just do it!"

She knew it was selfish and she'd never admit it out loud, but Fudge was glad to get out of there. Maybe a willingness to risk her life to save others was part of being a spy, but Fudge wasn't a spy and she wasn't ready to be part of that. So, she ran out there as fast as she was physically capable of. However, she didn't get the chance to move that far away from the building before she heard a deafening boom.

Fudge didn't really like loud noises (she could never be by herself during a thunderstorm), but she didn't really have time to react to this one. Next thing she knew, she was lying on the ground, praying that the glass flying past and the flames pouring out of the café wouldn't harm her.

"Fudge!" A familiar metal item wrapped itself around Fudge's hand. Mater's tow hook. "C'mon!"

The eleven-year-old got to her feet and ran after Mater, trying to get to a safe spot. She didn't want to look back at the café, but at the same time, she felt like she had to. If there was one thing Fudge was scared of more than anything, it was fire. She remembered when she was little, she read a book about a family whose house burned down and they lost everything. The idea of the book was to teach children fire safety, but after that, she feared that the same thing would happen to her, prompting a really bad fear of fire.

Now, even so, she couldn't stop staring at the flames as she hugged Mater and whimpered a little.

"Are you okay?" Mater questioned, concerned.

She nodded. "Yeah..." she replied shakily. "Are you?"

"Yeah... I'm fine..."

"Where's Finn?!" Holley demanded.

"I don't think he came out!" Fudge realised, still looking on in horror as flames devoured the café.

"Well, we have to do something!"

"But Finn told us to get out!" Fudge reminded Holley.

"We can't just leave him in there!"

Fudge sighed, knowing that Holley was right. She and Mater were completely inexperienced and Holley was on her first field assignment. Finn had more experience than the three of them combined. They _needed_ him. Besides, it didn't matter _who_ it was. They couldn't leave _anybody_ in there!

"All right. Let's go!"

Reluctantly, Fudge followed Holley and Mater back into the blazing building in search of Finn. The temperature seemed to rise dramatically with every step she took. Thick, black smoke billowed in her face, making both seeing and breathing normally next to impossible. Flames crackled all around and there were a couple of loud bangs every now and then. Debris fell from the ceiling, some of it ablaze. Fudge's heart was racing and her mind only held the one thought. _I shouldn't be here! I shouldn't be here!_

Still, she had to ignore it. She was supposed to be a spy. She was supposed to be fearless. She was supposed to put other people's lives before her own.

"Finn?!" she called out anxiously. " **FINN!** "

"I'm over here!" his voice rung out from somewhere in front of Fudge and to her left.

"Okay..." Fudge kept moving forward.

All of a sudden, a piece of ceiling came crashing down. It was gonna land right on top of Fudge! She didn't have time to react. Mater had to use his tow hook to yank her back.

"Mater?" she whimpered.

"You still okay?"

"I don't know..."

"It's gonna be okay!" he assured her. "We is gonna be fine!"

Fudge wasn't sure if she could believe him.

"Finn!" Holley called out again.

Finn was in the corner of the kitchen, surrounded by flames. For a second, Fudge wondered why he didn't use his grappling hooks. Then she saw the roof caving in. No. Not a good idea at all. There seemed to be no way out.

"What do we do?!" Fudge questioned fearfully.

"This is a kitchen! There should be a fire extinguisher somewhere!" Finn replied. "I can't get to it obviously, but look around!"

So, they did hurriedly.

"Oh, God, oh, God, oh, God!" Fudge kept repeating to herself as she scanned her surroundings in search of a fire extinguisher.

"I found it!" Mater exclaimed abruptly, holding it up.

Maybe he didn't really wanna waste time reading the instructions on how to use the fire extinguisher, but at the same time, letting him wing it probably wasn't the best idea. More of the foam actually went over Finn and even Fudge, who was stood back, rather than the flames. Still, the most important thing was that the flames were out and Finn could get out of there.

"All right. Let's go!" Fudge shouted.

Luckily, Fudge had been right about there being a back door, which she assumed that the chefs would use (and it looked like they had). It had been left wide open, so the four of them managed to get out of there with no trouble at all.

It felt good to breathe in the cool air of the night. After breathing in the thick smoke inside, to Fudge, fresh air felt like the best thing in the entire world.

"Is everyone all right?" Finn asked the group, concerned, once they'd all gotten to a safe distance.

All three confirmed that they were.

"How did that _happen_?!" Fudge wanted to know, struggling to breathe normally. Not only because of the smoke, but because she was shaken up by the night's events.

"The Lemons", Finn answered. Well, she knew _that_. "They planted a bomb inside the loo. The only thing I still don't understand is how they knew where we were."

"Yeah. Paris wasn't even part of the World Grand Prix!" Holley agreed. "How could they have possibly known?"

"I don't know..." Fudge responded, brushing her curly, dark brown hair out of her face.

That was when she saw it. Some kind of contraption had been implanted in her skin. It was a small, grey-white thing shaped like a teardrop. In the large circular bit, there was a red flashing light. How did she not notice this before?

"Are you okay?" Finn's voice jolted the human girl from her thoughts.

She thrusted her hand out and pointed to the item she'd just discovered. "Look at this!"

Finn studied it. "Hmmm... Well, that explains a lot."

"What is it?"

The British spy looked her deep in the eyes with a _very_ serious expression. "It's a tracking device."

By that point, Fudge had gotten used to shivers running down her spine, so the one she felt just then was nothing new. Her stalker had planted a _tracking device_ on her?! How? When? Then she remembered. The sharp pain she'd felt in that hand when she was tackled to the ground by her stalker.

"Are you all right?" Finn questioned.

Fudge was about to assure him that she was fine, but she couldn't get the words out. Besides, she wasn't fine. How _could_ she be? She was downright terrified. A tracking device. A frickin' _tracking device_! Things just got worse than she thought.

Or _had_ they?

"Wait! Let me see the photo of the engine again!" Fudge requested.

Holley looked a little confused, but brought it up again.

"Look at that!" The human girl pointed to a spot in the engine where an identical teardrop-shaped device rested. " _He's_ got a tracking device too!"

"You're right!" the other three cried out almost in unison.

"That should make things easier, right?"

Finn paused regretfully. "Not quite..." Fudge looked to him confused. "You see, each tracking device has an individual code." He gestured to where the code was written on Fudge's tracking device. Hers was S1573R. "It's to make sure we know who specifically we're looking for and to prevent just anyone from getting the information. We can't track them unless we know the code. So, for now, the device is useless."

Fudge's shoulders slumped. "Oh."

It was gonna be impossible to read the code in the photo. It was too far away and at an angle, making it extremely blurry.

"But surely _you_ must know the code", Holley told Mater and Fudge. "I mean, if you're the ones who-"

She was interrupted by wailing sirens. All four of them looked down the street to see flashing lights. Police cars and fire trucks were flooding the area in response to the explosion that had occurred.

"We need to go", Finn announced quietly.

"What?" Fudge asked.

"Fudge, come on!"

Without another word, the human girl took off after the three cars down the street.

Even from their room on the twenty-fourth floor of a hotel several blocks away from the café, Fudge could still see the bright orange sparks flying into the night sky along with the red and blue lights of the emergency services. Sure, there were the bright lights of the city, including the Eiffel Tower, but she couldn't drag her eyes away from those lights. She'd closed the window to block out the strong smell of smoke wafting over the city and the intense heat that accompanied it.

The eleven-year-old still couldn't believe that that had happened. These Lemons had blown up a coffee shop full of innocent people. And all because someone was out to get her. Then she discovered the tracking device... It was enough to freak anybody out. Still, if there's one good thing that came out of it, it was that she didn't see her stalker get out of the café, so at least that was one less thing to worry about. Maybe.

Mater gave her a sympathetic hug and pulled her away from the window.

"Are you okay?" he wanted to know.

"I don't know..." She took a shaky breath, returning the hug. "This was why I thought that it was a bad idea to do this."

As soon as the words came out of her mouth, Fudge remembered what had gotten them into that situation in the first place. Her tracking device. What if they'd used it to follow her to Radiator Springs and... She didn't want to finish the thought. It was too horrifying.

Mater held her tighter. He understood. Fudge knew that. "It's gonna be okay."

The eleven-year-old smiled at him gratefully. He really did understand how scared she was and was taking his role as the big brother very seriously.

"How do we take out this tracking device?" Fudge quizzed Finn after putting her phone on charge.

Finn looked rueful. "I'm afraid they are very difficult to remove", he reported. "CHROME headquarters is the only place in the world where you'll find the technology to have it removed. Again, it's to prevent criminals from removing them themselves."

" _You_ don't have anything to remove it?"

"No. It's a strict CHROME policy for it to stay in headquarters."

Fudge nodded, downcast. "So, when can we do that?"

"I don't think we have the time to do it until after the mission-"

" _What_?!" the human girl exploded.

"Fudge, we're in the middle of a _mission_! We don't have the _time_ to stop and go to headquarters! We'll just have to keep you even more safe until then", was Finn's only response.

Fudge didn't like it. Not one bit. It wasn't like she was a real spy like Finn thought. She couldn't defend herself against any Lemon attacks. But there was nothing she could do about it. So, she flopped back on the bed in their hotel room, removing her jacket, socks and shoes. She didn't like the idea of sleeping in her clothes, but she didn't have much of a choice. She had no other clothes with her since they were all in her checked baggage (they were going to have to call the airport or the airline company to get that back now!) and she only had a small carry-on backpack.

Fudge had no idea how she was going to sleep with all of her fear. How could _anybody_ sleep knowing that someone had planted a tracking device in their skin? Knowing that their life was in danger? Knowing that the world was in danger and she and Mater had been thrust into the world of espionage unwillingly and inexperienced and being one of the ones to save it?

But despite her worries, Fudge had had a _really_ long day, participating in a thrilling airport chase, travelling from Tokyo to Paris and being in that explosion. She was asleep before anybody had even turned out the light.

 **How was that? I've got my fingers crossed that that all made sense. (I'm kinda worried that it doesn't; same when I reveal what the stalker wants.) I've found that sometimes when I'm writing, it turns out that what I wrote makes more sense in my head than it does in real life, so...**

 **And it looks like things have just taken a dramatic turn. What's gonna happen next?**

 **And one thing that I'm sure you'll all be very excited to know is that I've started writing my story of Fudge in** ** _Cars 3_** **. I'm not very far into it yet and I still don't have many concrete ideas, but, like I've said before, I'm just gonna write it and see where it takes me. It probably won't be up until I've at least finished posting this one and** ** _Life Could Be a Dream_** **, but I could always speed those along, considering that they've both already been written. I just try not to update too often to give you guys something to look forward to.**

 **Thanks for reading, enjoying and reviewing! See you later!**

 **P.S. I'm also on Tumblr now as fabulous-cars-crazy-fudge. I'm not very active on there by posting anything myself at the moment, but that might change. Feel free to find me.**

 **P.P.S. That's funny right there.**

 **P.P... There's a few more pages of PSs here.**

 **XD** ** _Cars 2_** **reference!**


	17. Valuable Dents

**I'm back! Not much to say. Please enjoy and review!**

 **Chapter 17- Valuable Dents**

It was still dark outside when Fudge was awoken by Finn early the next morning. She had never been a big fan of early mornings to begin with (she had no reason to get up early on a regular basis) and it was even worse getting up in the dark after only a couple of hours of sleep on and off.

The girl had woken up several times during the night, worrying about the situation she was in or hearing the sound of an explosion that seemed so real to her. Most of the time, she just lay in bed, her heart pounding and breathing in the smoky smell that still lingered on her hair and clothes. A couple of times, she got up and went to the bathroom, splashing cold water all over her face before returning to bed.

One of the times that she woke up (at 2:56), Fudge decided to check how her phone was going on charge. Ninety-two per cent. Eh. That'll do. Normally, she liked to have it charged a hundred per cent, but with so many other things going on, she was well past the point of caring about trivial things like that.

Fudge groaned when she switched the phone on, blinking as the bright light lit up the dark room. Great. Two missed calls from Guido and three from Luigi. She should've known that her fathers would be worried about her. What if they ended up calling Radiator Springs and found out that Fudge wasn't there? They were gonna freak out for sure. Maybe she should call them to let them know that she was okay ( _was_ she, though? She wasn't so sure herself.). Wait. What time was it? Wouldn't they be getting on the plane to go to Porto Corsa soon? If not, they might be _on_ the plane. Maybe calling could wait until later.

For now, she had to think about going with Finn, Holley and Mater to Gare de Lyon to meet Stephenson. That part went without any drama, but Fudge kept staring at two things. The first was the TVs all over the place, reporting on the explosion the night before. They said that the café was completely destroyed and the cause was currently unknown and being treated as suspicious. Luckily, it seemed like nobody was hurt in the explosion (but that meant that the stalker might be unharmed). And the second thing she kept her eyes on was the small device stuck in her hand. God. Someone stalking her. It was like something right out of a movie. She only hoped that _this_ story would have a happy ending.

She managed to forget about her predicament as they studied footage of the Lemons driving through the streets of Porto Corsa.

"Boy, I tell you what. That three-wheeled fella had to be right about a big meetin'", Mater commented. "You _never_ see this many Lemons in one town. Unless there's a swap meet or somethin'... Hey, how'd you get all them pictures?" he quizzed Holley.

"Well, I remotely reprogrammed Porto Corsa's red light cameras to do recognition scans", she explained.

"Wow." Mater was impressed while Fudge didn't understand what she was talking about. "Not only is you the purtiest car I ever met, but you the smartest too."

"Thank you... I think."

Then they noticed a Hugo in decent condition being towed by a red and blue tow truck. Holley paused the footage to get a better look.

"They must be the heads of the Lemon families", Finn remarked.

"Makes sense!" Mater agreed. "If I was rich and broke down every day, I'd hire me to tow me around all the time too!"

"We've got to infiltrate that meeting", Finn commented. "It's the only way to find out who's behind all this."

"Yeah, but how?" Fudge wondered. She'd never heard the word _infiltrate_ before, but based on the context, she could guess what it meant.

"Hang on a minute!" Holley had an idea. She took a photo of Mater and put it over the tow truck, meaning that with a disguise program, Mater could be the one to infiltrate the meeting.

"Ah ha!" It was Finn's turn to be impressed. "Good job, Miss Shiftwell."

"Thank you, Finn." She was trying to sound modest, but it was obvious to everyone that she was proud of herself.

"Wait!" Fudge exclaimed. "You're gonna send _Mater_ in there! That sounds really dangerous."

Finn nodded. "It is", he replied honestly. "But we don't really have a choice, do we?"

"I'm not sure if that's a good idea, Finn..."

"I'm sure it's nothing Mater can't handle, Fudge", the British spy assured her not unkindly.

"I know, but-"

"Boy, I sure wish my friends could see me now!" Mater declared happily, cutting Fudge off.

"Me too", Fudge sighed sadly.

She really missed her family. Especially her fathers. She thought about what Mater said at the café the night before (before it blew up, Fudge couldn't help remembering with a shiver). Maybe they'd get to see the others again. Maybe she'd be back with her family soon. Maybe this whole spy thing would be over.

Meanwhile, Team McQueen were just outside Porto Corsa in a small village called Carsoli, Guido and Luigi's hometown BRS (Before Radiator Springs). Luigi's uncle had invited the entire team to stay- and was quite disappointed when Luigi explained that Fudge wasn't with them. Luigi's relatives had all met his daughter. Some of them had come out to Radiator Springs when Fudge was only a few months old to meet her and Luigi and Guido had taken her to Italy a couple of times. While Luigi was absolutely overjoyed to see all of his relatives again, he was worried about Fudge still.

"You okay, Luigi?" Lightning asked, concerned (not that Lightning was doing great himself after his fight with Mater and him leaving) as they settled into their accommodation for their time in Italy with Luigi's Uncle Topolino.

"What?" Luigi had been a bit distracted. "Oh, yes. Yes. I am fine."

"Just miss Fudge, do you?" Lightning questioned.

Luigi sighed. "Yes. I do. She must have been very upset about getting into trouble... I just hope she understands that Guido and I were just worried about her."

"I'm sure she does", Lightning assured him. "She seemed to feel very bad about what she did. Fudge would do anything for you guys. What happened with you and Fudge wasn't your fault. You were just trying to look out for her. With Mater, I was just being a jerk."

"Well, Guido and I have tried to call Fudge at least five times", Luigi informed Lightning. "Why has she not answered?"

"I don't know", Lightning answered.

Luigi got out his phone and tried to call her again.

"She is still not answering", he reported dejectedly.

"(I hope she is okay)", Guido commented worriedly.

"I'm sure she will be", Lightning insisted. "Try not to worry about her."

"But you are worrying about Mater", Luigi pointed out.

Lightning rolled his eyes, but he was smiling. "Yeah... I am. I still feel really bad about what I said to him... Still, talking to your uncle helped."

Luigi managed a small smile of his own. "I thought it would."

"Well, I'm sure I can make things right with Mater when we get home. And you can make things right with Fudge. For now, you should just enjoy being with your family again."

"Fudge _is_ my family!"

"You know what I mean."

"Well, you are probably right", Luigi agreed. "There is nothing we can do right now. Everything will be fine when we get home."

Meanwhile, Fudge was thinking the same thing. _Everything will be fine when we get_ _home_ , she told herself. If they ever _got_ home. At this rate, it seemed like Finn and Holley would _never_ figure out that they weren't spies and let them go. And who was to say that they'd have figured it out by the end of the mission? They could easily be thrust on another one and another and another. What if Fudge and Mater never went back to Radiator Springs? What if she never saw Luigi and Guido again? Or Lightning. Or Sally. Or Sarge. Or Fillmore. Or Ramone. Or Flo. Or Sheriff. Or Red. Or Lizzie. It was a horrible thought.

Fudge wasn't sure if she wanted to get to Porto Corsa or not. It could mean that she'd soon be reunited with her family. Or it could mean that they'd all be killed. Fudge just really wished she knew which one. Even dreading it would be better than not knowing whether she was dreading it or looking forward to it feverishly.

Only one hour to go. That was what Stephenson had just announced to Finn. Oh, God. Only one hour left until... Until what? Fudge didn't have an answer to that, which was what was scaring her more than anything at that moment. Even more than the thought of her stalker.

"Yeah, I think that should just about do it", Holley declared, satisfied, fastening Mater's cab light back on him.

Finn seemed satisfied too. "Perfect."

Thank Chrysler. They were _done_. Despite the constant worry and her panicked thoughts, Fudge had been watching them fiddle around with contraption after contraption, growing rather bored. Still, she watched, not wanting to miss this disguise thing work.

"This I _have_ to see!" she remarked gleefully.

"So, Mater", Holley began explaining to the tow truck, "it's voice-activated. But, you know, _everything_ is voice-activated these days."

"What?" Mater asked. "I thought you was supposed to be makin' me a disguise." He pronounced it _dee-scize_.

" _Voice recognised_ ", a female computer voice announced. " _Disguise program initiated_."

And just like that, Mater transformed into the red and blue tow truck that worked for the Hugos (they had learned that his name was Ivan).

"It worked!" Fudge cried, impressed. She'd never seen anything like it in all of her life. Well, during her time on this World Grand Prix trip, the human girl had seen a _lot_ of things that she'd never seen in her life.

Mater was just as excited as his little sister was.

"Ha, ha!" he snickered. " _Cool_!" Both Fudge and Mater knew that this disguise program was supposed to be for serious business, but still, Mater- being Mater- couldn't resist experimenting with it. "Hey, computer! Make me a German truck!"

" _Request acknowledged_."

His request wasn't just acknowledged. It was carried out too.

"Check it out! I'm wearin' Materhosen! Make me a monster truck!"

" _Request acknowledged_."

He turned into a monster truck all right, but not in the way you might think. Or the way in which Mater intended. He looked more like a vampire.

But Mater didn't seem to mind. He just laughed and put on his best Transylvanian accent. "I vant to siphon your gas!"

"That is _awesome_!" Fudge exclaimed, watching Mater and giggling. She wanted one of these disguise things too (but she thought the better of asking Finn for one) and immediately began dreaming of what she could do with it. She wondered if it could somehow make her taller. Fudge was pretty short for her age and wished that she could just be a little taller.

Finn looked amused as well. Holley did not.

However, Mater didn't pay any attention to any of them. He was too distracted by the amazing new ability he'd just received. "Now, make me a taco truck!" And after that, it was, "A funny car!" Both times, the computer carried out his request and he transformed.

But Finn switched it off when Funny Car Mater was in the middle of revving his engine loudly.

"The idea is to keep a low profile, Mater", he explained politely. He turned Mater back into the red and blue tow truck.

"So, I just go in and pretend to be this truck", Mater wanted to make sure he had the plan right.

"And leave the rest to us", Finn confirmed. "Are you all right, Fudge? You look rather pale and you're breathing heavily."

Fudge nodded uncertainly. "Yeah, I guess I'm just nervous about this."

Finn flashed her a sympathetic smile. "I know how challenging it is out in the field for the first time. You're just going to have to learn to deal with these things."

Although she wanted to try again to convince him that they weren't spies, Fudge just smiled. Finn's words were nice. It was obvious that he cared about her and was just trying to help her through her first mission.

"Now, hold still", Holley instructed the tow truck. "First, I have to do the final fitting on your disguise."

Only that proved to be a challenge because a series of beeps sounded, indicating an error.

"Oh, dear", Holley murmured to herself. "That's no good."

"What isn't?!" Fudge demanded, panicking.

Holley didn't answer, seemingly deep in thought. "Hmmm..."

Mater stood there, smiling away until he realised that some kind of tool was moving closer to one of his dents.

He dodged it. "Hey. What are you doin'?"

"The disguise won't calibrate effectively without a smooth surface to graft onto", Holley explained.

Again with the big words! Fudge had no idea what she was talking about.

"Oh. For a second there, I thought you was tryin' to fix my dents."

"Yes I was", Holley informed him.

"Well, then no thank you", Mater insisted as the tool was pulled away. "I don't get them dents buffed, pulled, filled or painted by nobody. They is way too valuable."

"Your dents are valuable?" Holley asked, clearly surprised. "Really?"

Mater looked completely serious. "I come by each one of 'em with my best friend, Lightnin' McQueen. I don't fix these. I wanna remember these dents forever."

Fudge smiled at the tow truck. She understood. It was about sentimental value, not monetary value. It was just like the memory box she had back home, in which she kept things like her old journals, toys from when she was younger, birthday cards from her family every year, tickets and pit passes to Lightning's races, even an old lug nut from the first tyre she ever changed, that kind of thing. Mater's dents meant just as much to him as Fudge's memory box did to her. And almost as much as his friendship with Lightning itself.

"So... you were being serious in Paris", Holley realised. "McQueen isn't just part of your cover."

"He isn't-" Fudge began.

"Friendships can be dangerous in our line of work, Mater", Finn broke in, also sounding completely serious.

"But _my_ line of work is towin' and salvage!" Mater protested.

"Right", Finn agreed. "And Miss Shiftwell's is designing iPhone apps."

"No, I meant for real!" Mater insisted.

"No, no, no! It's okay!" Holley assured him. "Say no more! I'll work around the dent."

Mater groaned. Fudge waved her hand above her head again.

"When will they _ever_ figure it out?" she whispered to Mater loudly.

But Finn didn't seem to hear her. "In the meantime", he changed the subject. He flipped a switch to reveal a large number of powerful-looking weapons, covering all of the walls.

"Whoa..." Fudge murmured softly in astonishment at the sight of them all.

"You both look a little light on weapons."


	18. Agent Rossi-Topolino

****Okay. So, I'm gonna try and update this a little more often to have it finished for June 16th in honour of both the one-year anniversary of**** ** _ **Cars 3**_** ** **, but also, Fudge's birthday. Again, just a filler chapter. It doesn't really contribute much to the plot, but there is a little bit of information about what Fudge is doing and feeling at this point. Enjoy.****

 ** **Chapter 18- Agent Rossi-Topolino****

Even though Fudge wasn't going to be infiltrating the meeting like Mater was, Finn decided that she needed some weapons too in order to defend herself if necessary. And with her stalker (though she didn't believe that she was still alive, but there __was__ still the tracking device), Fudge agreed that that probably wouldn't be a bad idea.

So, Finn gave her a gun. A __real__ gun! The girl couldn't believe that there was an actual gun in her hand! She'd seen plenty of guns over at Sarge's back home, but he never let her touch any of them. Now, she had one of her own!

"Wow..." Fudge wasn't sure if she was excited at all or not, but she was definitely nervous more than anything. So, she added, "I'm not so sure about this..."

"Well, you need to be able to defend yourself, should you get into trouble", Finn informed her solemnly.

"I've never used a gun before!" Fudge protested and she didn't like the idea of getting into __that__ kind of trouble. Still, it __could__ happen. And at that moment, it seemed more likely than ever. It was terrifying.

Finn looked slightly surprised to learn this, but he shook it off. "There is a training facility on board", he told her. "You can have some practise if you like while you wait for Holley to finish with your watch."

Holley was creating a watch for Fudge that had a computer and heads-up display like Holley had as well as a recording device, a magnet (the magnets Fudge used to sit on cars' hoods were tucked away in her lost luggage) and Chrysler knew what else. It wasn't done yet, so now, she had to kill some time.

Again, Fudge decided that practising with the gun was a good idea (if she __had__ to have one). So, she followed Finn into a dark room covered by blue tiles. There were also dummies that looked like both cars and humans piled up in the corner, various weapons and machines hanging from the ceiling as part of an intense obstacle course and several targets like in archery with hundreds, maybe even thousands, of holes in them.

"Wow!" Fudge repeated, impressed by the sight of everything.

"Sometimes, we run simulations in here, so agents can have experience real missions and train for them", Finn explained.

"Awesome!" Fudge declared.

"Well, unfortunately, we don't have time for that right now", he reported ruefully. "For now, we need to focus on your shooting."

"Okay." Fudge peeled off her jacket and tossed it aside.

 _ _Giving a seriously uncoordinated eleven-year-old a gun__ , Fudge thought, reaching for a pair of human-sized safety goggles and protective earmuffs from a rack nearby and pulling them on. __What could__ possibly __go wrong?__

She took a deep breath, pulling the trigger back nervously. "Okay... Here we go..."

When she let go of the trigger, there was an almighty bang, making Fudge nearly jump right out of her skin. She missed the target by a mile.

Finn said nothing. Just gave a, "Hmmm..." But Fudge could tell what that meant. She obviously had some work to do.

* * *

"Finn?" came Stephenson's voice after about ten minutes. "We've arrived in Porto Corsa. We're about five minutes from the station."

"Thank you, Stephenson", Finn replied before turning back to the human girl. "Let me see you try this again", he instructed her.

During the ten minutes she'd spent practising, Fudge had gotten quite a few shots on the target, but none actually in the centre. The human girl was just surprised to get on the target (as previously stated, she was __extremely__ uncoordinated and she had poor hand-eye coordination). Besides, she didn't want to hurt anybody and would probably get too scared to use it on someone, so Fudge figured that at the very most, she'd use the gun for warning shots.

But she could only guess that that wouldn't be good enough for Finn, so Fudge didn't tell him that. She just checked to see if the gun was loaded, which was something Finn made sure she got used to, and fired at the target again. She still didn't like the loud noise that the gun made when it was fired, but Fudge had no choice but to suck it up and keep going. She still failed to hit the centre of the target, but Finn decided that it would have to do for now. So, Fudge grabbed her jacket, put it on, tucking the gun inside of it and followed Finn.

* * *

"Is my watch ready?" Fudge quizzed Holley once the four of them regrouped.

"Yes it is", the magenta sports car replied, handing her a silver watch. It just looked like a regular watch, displaying the time. "I'll quickly show you how to use it."

Holley explained that it had a facial recognition scan feature, so Fudge just had to stare at the watch in order for it to open up.

"Whoa!" Fudge exclaimed as she witnessed a screen light up with options of what she could do with the watch right where the time should be.

The options were record, communicate (the watch had a built-in radio) and heads-up display. If she brought up the heads-up display, not only did wider range of option come up, but a keyboard came out of the side of the watch. It was small enough to be discreet, but big enough to type on. Some of the other features included a knife, a breathing apparatus to be used underwater, a magnet and a grappling hook like Finn's.

"This is really cool!" Fudge declared, grinning, once she felt like she had the hang of using it. The good thing about the watch was that it was really high-tech, but at the same time, really simple to use.

"We think it might be useful for you to have", Finn informed the eleven-year-old. "If necessary, we might ask you to do some research."

Fudge nodded slowly. That didn't sound so terrible. It wasn't like she was going on the front line... __But Mater__ is, Fudge reminded herself. She just hoped he'd be okay.

That was when they noticed that the spy train was slowing down.

"End of the line!" Stephenson called once he'd come to a complete stop.

"Thank you, Stephenson!"

As they all filed off the train, Fudge began to feel nervous. Well, even more nervous than she did before. This was it. They were about to __really__ get involved in international espionage. She couldn't believe that this was really about to happen.

"Oh, God!" she whispered to herself.

 _ _Here we go!__

 ** **What's gonna happen next? Well, you're gonna have to wait to found out! Not for long, though. I'm planning on having the next chapter up soon. In the meantime, please review. I haven't gotten many reviews for my stories lately, so please review if you wanna see them continued.****


	19. The Italian Job

**Okay. So, according to the list I made, this is the next update day I have in order to have this entire story posted by June 16th. Even so, I was reluctant to post it due to lack of reviews.**

 **Guys, I really don't mean to sound like a pain here, but _please_ review if you want to see my stories continued. That way, I know people are enjoying them. I hate to discontinue if that's the case, so please review, so I know. Thank you.**

 **'Kay. With that out of the way, on with da show!**

 **Chapter 19- The Italian Job**

"Ah, back in Porto Corsa!" Fudge remarked once they were out of the train station and in the streets of the Italian Riviera town. She smiled, remembering how awesome it was the last time she was there. And the time before that. Of all of her trips to Italy, Fudge had a feeling that this was gonna be her least favourite.

"You been here before?" Mater asked her.

She nodded. "I came here with Guido and Luigi."

At the mention of her fathers' names, Fudge felt a pang of sadness. In all of her eleven years, this was the longest she'd ever been separated from them. She really missed them. She never _did_ call them back. They must be so worried about her.

"You okay?" Mater questioned, concerned.

"Yeah... I just really miss Guido and Luigi, that's all."

Mater gave her a hug. "We'll be home soon."

Fudge sighed. "I hope so."

* * *

Meanwhile, Lightning just wasn't himself as he lined up in the second position at the starting line. He was just as worried about his friends as they were about him.

Luigi became anxious. "McQueen? Is-a everything okay?" he questioned over the radio.

"If you're worried about your fuel, man, don't", Fillmore added. "It's perfectly safe."

Lightning shook his hood. "No, guys. I just really wish Mater and Fudge were here."

Luigi sighed sadly. "I know. I really miss Fudge too."

"(Me too)", Guido added.

Lightning felt a little better. It helped to know that his friends understood how he felt. However, his bad feeling returned when Francesco came over (from the pole position).

"Francesco understands, McQueen."

Lightning groaned. "Oh, great. _Here_ it comes. What do you got, Francesco?"

"For famous race cars like Francesco and, well, you, to be far away from home is-a... not easy", the Italian formula car told him.

"I think you forgot the insulting part of that insult", Lightning deadpanned.

"Is-a no insult!" Francesco insisted.

"When Francesco is away from home, he misses his mama. Just like you miss your tow truck and human _amicos_."

"Gee, I maybe misjudged you", Lightning began, "because that's exactly-"

"Of course", Francesco rushed on with that annoying smirk of his, "I am at home! And my mama is right here." He gestured to a Formula One car, who looked very much like Francesco himself, blowing kisses to her son. "Don't worry, Mama! McQueen is very sad! I will beat his crybaby bottom today!"

"And _there's_ the insult we were missing!" Lightning remarked to himself. " _Grazie_!"

But he didn't have time to worry about Francesco. Or Fudge and Mater. The lights in front of him flashed green. The race had begun!

* * *

Unbeknown to them, the big Lemon meeting was going to take place inside of a casino. And sure enough, when they arrived, there were Lemons everywhere. It was when they saw all of these Lemon cars that Holley brought up a good point.

"How are we supposed to get Mater in the place of the tow truck?" she quizzed the rest of the group.

"Well, he _is_ a tow truck", Fudge reasoned. "What do tow trucks do?"

Mater lit up, clearly knowing the answer. "They tow cars!"

"Exactly!" Fudge replied.

"But _this_ tow truck is a _criminal_!" Holley reminded them. "Why would he be willing to help other cars?"

Instead of answering, all four looked to the Lemon cars, roaring at every car who got in their way. Except for one. A pretty, yellow female Italian model. Immediately, they all began swarming her and flirting with her in the most cringe-worthy manner possible.

Finn's eyes widened. "I think we have our answer."

"But who's going to..." Holley began, trailing off when she noticed the look that Finn was giving her. "Oh! No! I don't think that's such a good idea!"

"Miss Shiftwell, you really are the best one for the job", Finn informed her. "Mater and myself are male and I think Miss Rossi-Topolino is a bit young. Besides, I'm not sure how these cars feel about humans."

"But I'm not that..." She trailed off, unsure of how or if she should finish her sentence. "No one likes me... Not in _that_ way."

"Mater does", Fudge informed her.

Holley was speechless. "Mater? He... I..."

"He really does!" Fudge reinforced.

"He does?"

"He _said_ you're the prettiest car he's ever met", Fudge reminded her. " _And_ the smartest."

"He was just being nice!" Holley insisted.

"No. Mater's nice to _everyone_ ", Fudge corrected her. "I can tell he likes you."

Again, Holley didn't know what to say. Luckily, Mater didn't appear to be listening. He was too busy watching the Lemons.

"Well, time is of the essence, Shiftwell!" Finn informed her.

"All right..." she agreed reluctantly.

"You ready?" Fudge quizzed Holley.

"I don't know..." the sports car responded uncertainly.

"Is there a problem, Miss Shiftwell?" Finn asked.

"I'm just... not sure if I want to behave like a..." She struggled to find the way she wanted to word her thoughts. "Like a damsel in distress."

"Maybe the tow isn't for you", Fudge suggested.

Finn nodded in agreement. "Perhaps it could be for your grandfather", he suggested.

Holley sighed. "I like that better."

Once that was settled, it was time for Holley to distract the enemy. So, Mater infiltrate the meeting. Fudge was to stay with Finn at a nearby café (which had a great view of the race track since it was right over it) while the other two went to the casino. The human girl began to feel even nervous as Mater drove off. So, she ran to him for a last minute hug before he could go too far.

The tow truck hugged her back. "It's gonna be okay, Fudge."

"I hope so... I love you, Mater." She kissed his fender.

"I love ya too." Mater kissed her back before pulling away. He didn't kiss her often, but on this occasion, he did.

There was an awkward pause.

"I gotta go..."

"Okay..." Fudge walked back over to Finn slowly.

It wasn't long before everything was ready. A group of black Hugos were parked right outside the casino with Ivan, the red and blue tow truck Mater was supposed to be going in as. There were all talking and laughing when Holley approached them. She spoke to them in Italian before switching to English.

"My grandfather has-a broken down", she informed them in a fake Italian accent. "If-a one of-a you would help, I would be so thankful."

Ivan lit up. "Sounds like you need some roadside assistance."

"She was talking to me!" one of the Hugos snapped.

"Oh, really?" Ivan retorted, giving the car a shove with his tyre. "Prove it!"

"No, no, no! Don't-a fight over me." She looked to Ivan. " _Signore_ tow truck. _Per favore_..."

"Get ready, Mater", Finn instructed over the radio. "You're on any moment now."

Mater had been so excited to be a "real secret agent", but now, he was starting to have doubts about the whole thing. "I don't know about this, Finn. What if I screw things up?"

"Impossible", Finn assured him. "Just apply the same level of dedication you've been using to play the idiot tow truck. And you'll be fine."

Fudge's eyes widened and she stared at Finn in shock at the use of the word _idiot_. The British spy was still completely oblivious to the fact that Mater and Fudge weren't actually spies. So, he didn't realise how much his words hurt.

"Well, it's just that them guys look purty tough and- Wait!" Mater sounded hurt. "Did you say _idiot_? Is that how you see me?"

"That's how everyone sees you", Finn responded, still unaware of what he was really saying. "Isn't that the idea? I tell you that's the genius of it. No one realises they're being fooled because they're too busy laughing _at_ the fool. Brilliant!"

Mater stared at his reflection in the window sadly. He thought about not only Finn's words, but Lightning's words too. Was Finn right? _Was_ he nothing but a fool?

"Mater-" Fudge began, unsure of what to say next. There didn't seem like any way to recover from that.

It didn't matter anyway. Before she could say anything else, Mater was jolted from his thoughts by the sound of a Taser. Holley had zapped Ivan and turned to stare at the other tow truck.

"Why aren't you in disguise?!" she demanded.

"I, uh..." Mater didn't know what to say.

"Come on! There's no time! _Go_!" Holley ordered.

"Okay, okay. Computer, disguise!"

" _Request acknowledged_."

And just like that, Mater transformed into Ivan again.

"Good luck!" Fudge called over the radio to her brother. _Please. Please be safe_.

After a pause, Fudge looked to Finn. "Why did you call Mater an idiot?"

"It's just a cover, Fudge", Finn reminded her.

"Actually, that's not-" Fudge began.

"Finn!" a voice called from behind them. It was Holley. She had just returned to join the other two. And Fudge felt her heart rate go up dramatically when Holley reported, "He's in."


	20. Long Live Lemons!

**Chapter 20- "Long Live Lemons"**

Fudge decided that it would be a good idea to switch on her recording device while Mater was infiltrating the Lemon meeting. Maybe it could give them some solid evidence of any criminal activity that occurred. She figured that it would be powerful enough to pick up the audio on Holley's computer. Finn, Holley and Fudge were gonna be listening to everything that was going on. Plus, it didn't require much effort, so it wasn't gonna interfere with her other job.

What _was_ her other job? Well, unless it later came up that they needed to look up any information, Finn decided to just let Fudge watch the race in order to keep an eye out for anything suspicious. After all, they were sure that these Lemons were trying to sabotage the race. So, quickly, Fudge pressed the record button on the watch. Once she was satisfied that it was going, she turned her attention to the track while also trying to listen in on how Mater was doing.

"Wow!" The tow truck was clearly impressed with the casino he was towing Victor Hugo, leader of the Hugo family, through. "This place looks like it's made out of gold."

"That's because it is, Mater", Holley radioed. "Now, be careful what you say."

"Why's that?"

"Because you could easily create suspicion in a situation like this!" Holley explained, trying not to sound exasperated. "Just... don't talk to us!"

"What do you mean 'don't talk to you'?"

"I _mean_ , don't talk to us! This is exactly how you can create suspicion!"

"So, you want me to stop talking to you?"

" _Yes_!"

"Right now!"

"Mater! The Hugos are _looking_ at you!"

And indeed, they were. The Hugos on either side of Mater were giving him odd looks.

Fudge groaned. "I knew this was a bad idea!" And she wasn't just talking about infiltrating the meeting.

Fudge would never admit it, but although she was worried about Mater, there was a part of her that was relieved to no end that it wasn't _her_ going in and infiltrating.

"You are acting strange today, Ivan", one of the Hugos commented.

Now, Holley had installed a computer screen into Mater's windshield, which only the tow truck himself could see and it had constantly been flashing up with useless information (to the case, anyway) like the odds of a car winning at the casino and what the next spin would be. Now, when Mater looked at the Hugo, he was getting all kinds of facts about him.

"I have no idea what you're talkin' about, Alexander Hugo AKA Chop Shop Alex. Hey, you got a lot of AKAs, Alex. But I guess that makes sense, seein's how you's wanted in France and Germany and Czech Republic..."

"Mater, _stop_ it!" Holley cried.

"Mater, what are you _doing_?!" Fudge shrieked, horrified. " _Shut up_!"

As soon as the words came out of her mouth, Fudge regretted using them. She knew she'd made things worse for Mater. His conversation with Finn had seriously dragged the tow truck's confidence down and she'd just gone and done the same thing.

 _Me and my big mouth!_ Fudge silently cursed herself.

She didn't think Mater was an idiot. She'd always thought of him as more... naïve, which was exactly how he'd been acting just then. She was just worried about him and really didn't want this case of mistaken identity to be the death of him.

"Okay, okay!" Alexander whispered. "Keep your voice down. You're gonna make me arrested." To the others, he added, "Don't mess with Ivan today. He's in a bad mood."

"He's so good", Finn remarked.

Fudge tried to slow her breathing down. "I'm not so sure about that..."

A set of double doors were opened by two black and white forklifts, allowing Mater and the Hugos through into a large, private room where the Lemon meeting was being held. There were quite a few cars already in there and Mater's screen was filled with info that was enough to overwhelm anybody. Each car had a seemingly endless list of countries, in which they were wanted, and they were all labelled as "very dangerous". The sole person in the room who didn't seem really intimidating was a dark-haired, human waitress dressed in a long-sleeved white button-down shirt, black skirt that came to her knees, black tights and black shoes with her hair in a neat bun. She bustled around the room and called out, " _Scusi_!" in an Italian accent as she moved from spot to spot, making sure everything was perfect.

"Oh, God!" Fudge whispered to herself anxiously as Mater rolled in and was amongst the evil cars, obviously just as nervous.

Finn looked at her, puzzled. "I'm sorry?"

"Nothing."

"Is the Big Boss here yet?" Victor questioned as Mater dropped him off at the large table before reversing.

"No. Not yet", a blue Trunkov named Vladimir replied.

"He's s'posed to be here any minute", a beige Pacer by the name of Tubbs added.

As if on cue, there was a series of loud bangs accompanied by a few beeps. Everyone- Lemons, spies and innocents mistaken for spies alike- all stared, anxious to see who it was.

"Here we go..." Finn murmured.

The double doors were opened once more to reveal... green-blue, box-shaped microcar, sporting a monocle over one of his cold, grey eyes.

" _Guten tag_ ", he greeted the room in a German accent.

But it didn't seem like anybody was particularly happy to see him.

"Ah, it's just the professor", Tubbs noted sadly.

"Professor Zundapp", Finn muttered bitterly.

"I'm guessing this isn't the guy we want?" Fudge assumed.

"No. I know who Zundapp is", Finn replied. "He's dangerous, all right, but he's not the one who's behind all this."

Fudge looked up information on Professor Zundapp on her watch. "German weapon designer... made the camera they're using..."

Finn nodded. "Yes. He will work for just about anyone as long as they pay the right price."

"Must be a rich guy doing this then..." Fudge mused. "If he can afford all those rare parts _and_ to pay someone who obviously wants a lot of money..."

"Yes", Finn repeated.

"Zundapp, when is he coming?" Victor wanted to know.

"He's already here", Zundapp answered, entering the room.

A TV screen appeared before the Lemons, switching on to reveal a close-up of a car's engine. The same one in the photo! Even with the tracking device! It was still located at an impossible angle, though. So, there went their plans of finding out who this guy was.

"Well, _that_ sucks!" Fudge voiced her opinion.

* * *

"Welcome, everyone", an unnaturally deep, obviously disguised voice began. "I wish I could be with you on this very special day, but my clutch assembly broke. You know how it is."

All of the Lemons in the room grumbled their agreement. They all had the same problems.

"His clutch assembly broke?" Fudge echoed softly. "That's why Tomber sent him a new one."

Finn nodded absently. "Descramble that voice", he instructed Holley.

"I'm trying!" she groaned, struggling to do so. "It's too sophisticated!"

Then Finn turned to the human girl beside him. "Fudge. I'm going to need you to do some research for me."

"Okay." Fudge brought up her heads-up display. "What am I looking for?"

"I need you to look through the tracking devices to see if we can find out who this car is."

Fudge's screen flashed up with a map of the world. All over, there were letters and numbers, making up the code of the individual in the specific location.

"Finn, there are _thousands_ here!" Fudge groaned.

"Well, you can narrow it down", the British spy informed her. "We believe that this car is in Porto Corsa and I assume most of the cars in the meeting have tracking devices. I _know_ a few of them do. So, look for codes in Porto Corsa that aren't part of a large group."

"Right..." Fudge got to work on that.

* * *

"We are here to celebrate", the mystery engine continued. "Today, all your hard work pays off. The world turned their backs on cars like us. They stopped manufacturing us, stopped making our parts. The only thing they haven't stopped doing is _laughing_ at us. They've called us terrible names."

He went on to list some of these terrible names, finishing up with, " _Lemon_ ", causing Fudge to feel a little guilty. She'd heard her friends and family- including Otis, who _was_ a Lemon himself- use the word, so she always assumed that it was okay. But apparently not.

"But their insults just give us strength", the Big Boss went on as several more TV screens were lowered around the room, each one lit up with live footage of the race. "Because today, my friends. That. All. _Ends_!"

There was a loud bang, distracting Fudge from her research. She glanced up to discover that one of the racers had had their engine blown just like had happened three times in the Tokyo race. _Not_ this _again!_ she thought to herself, horrified.

"There's smoke!" Darrell Cartrip exclaimed. "On the Casino Bridge!"

"Oh, no!" David Hobbscap gasped.

"It's Carla Veloso, the Brazilian race car!" Brent Mustangburger added.

Carla spun out of control for a few seconds, trying to stop before crashing into the wall.

"What just happened?!" Finn demanded.

"I'm working on it!" Holley reported, looking at her computer.

* * *

The only ones who didn't seem upset about the crash were, of course, the Lemons. They were laughing, cheering and whistling like this was the greatest show to hit town in a century or something.

Their leader, especially, took great delight in what they were doing. "They laughed at us, but now, it's our turn to laugh back."

Boom! Another racer's engine exploded. This time, it was one of the two British racers.

"Another crash!" David cried. "It's number nine, Nigel Gearsley!"

He, too, tried to stop, but ended up hitting the wall.

"Embrace your inner Lemon!" the Big Boss continued. "Let it drive you!"

* * *

Finn was getting desperate for answers. "Holley!"

"I'm detecting an extremely strong electromagnetic pulse!" A pause followed. "Finn! It's the camera!"

"Where?!"

"On the tower!" And sure enough, there were the Gremlin and Pacer from the party and the airport, who turned out to be fittingly named Grem and Acer respectively on top of the tower with a TV camera.

That was all Finn needed to hear. He was away.

* * *

"This was meant to be alternative fuel's greatest moment", the Big Boss kept talking. "But after today, everyone will race back to gasoline. And we, the owners of the world's largest untapped oil reserve will become the most powerful cars in the world!"

All of the Lemons burst into cheers once more.

"Wait. They just want people to give up on alternative fuel, so they can go back to gasoline and they can make money?!" Fudge didn't really understand much about that kind of thing and wanted to make sure she had it right.

Holley nodded. "Sounds like it."

Fudge couldn't believe the sick freaks!

But she couldn't dwell on it for long. Finn's voice came over the radio.

"Get out of the way!" he ordered someone before focusing on his team. "Fudge, how's the research going?"

"You were right, Finn!" she reported. "There are _heaps_ of codes in Porto Corsa! Most of them are in that one area... It looks like the casino, but there are a couple that aren't."

"Which ones aren't?"

"Well, there's..." Fudge paused. "S1573R... Oh, wait. That's me. LMQ95 and FHH51... But they're on the tower. They must be..."

"Any more?"

Fudge looked around on her heads-up display. "Nope... Oh, wait! There _is_ one!"

"What's the code?"

"A113." And when Fudge looked back at the engine on Holley's screen, he chose that _exact_ moment to shift his angle ever so slightly, revealing the letter and numbers A113.

"Where are they?"

A pause. "I don't know exactly... I'm still looking."

"Well, keep looking."

"I will", Fudge promised.

As she kept going through the info, Fudge listened to the Big Boss again.

"And they will finally respect us. So, hold your hoods high! After today, you will never again be ashamed of who you are! Long. Live. _Lemons_!"

* * *

A third car's engine exploded. It was Shu Todoroki of Japan. Not only did he crash, but Miguel Camino slammed right into him! Max Schnell was right behind him and collided with them as well. Then Raoul Caroule and Rip Clutchgoneski also failed to stop, joining the pileup, the whole world watching in horror. Jeff Gorvette and Lewis Hamilton came speeding down the track too, but, thank Chrysler, were able to stop in time and avoid being part of the crash. Still, it was already a horrific crash. Fudge felt herself go cold all over. Still, she couldn't help but feel relieved that Lightning wasn't part of it.

Her relief didn't last long, though. The eleven-year-old wasn't sure what made her look up right at the moment she chose to do so, but she did. And she couldn't believe what she saw. A helicopter with a giant magnet. And Finn was attached to the magnet.

"Holley!" Fudge cried, trying to get the sports car's attention.

She'd seen. The human girl could tell by the gasp. "Finn?" Holley turned to Fudge. "Wait here." And with that, she, too, sped off.

"And we have a winner!" Fudge joked.

She began watching footage of the race from the Lemons' TV in the room. Lightning had just been declared the winner, but his victory was soiled by one of the worst crashes in racing history. The good news was that Sir Miles Axlerod, clearly devastated by the day's events, had suspended the use of Allinol for the final race in London. The Lemons cheered and proposed a toast with champagne, perceiving this as a victory for them. Fudge was just relieved that she didn't have to worry about Lightning- or any of the other racers, for that matter- getting hurt by the fuel.

Then Fudge figured that she probably should be getting back to work. She could radio Holley if she found something. All right. A113... Where was he? Somewhere in Porto Corsa. But where? Well, if she was there and the ocean was there, then A113 must be-

Fudge got distracted again by Holley's voice through the radio. "Mater, abort the mission!" she instructed. "They've got Finn! Get out of there! Get out of there right now." There was a pause on the other end followed by a gasp.

When Fudge heard a thick, European accent ask, "How is your grandfather?" right before the radio died, she knew. Holley had been taken!

"Mater!" Fudge cried fearfully into the radio. "What do we do _now_?!"

Mater didn't answer. He _couldn't_ answer. Not when he was still stuck in the meeting.

Besides, Fudge didn't have _time_ to wait for an answer. She had her own problems. Before she knew what was happening, a hand clapped itself over her mouth and raised her onto her feet. Fudge leaned back to try and see who it was...

And it was the waitress from the Lemon meeting. She had pulled a black leather jacket on over her waitress outfit and Fudge couldn't help but wonder for half a second how the hell she wasn't burning up in it.

 _Oh, yeah!_ That's _the part to focus on, you idiot!_ the girl scolded herself in her mind.

But then, this human waitress did something that snatched the breath away from the younger human's lungs. She used her free hand to grip the front of her hair and slid it back, revealing long, dark brown hair, similar to Fudge's, only straighter, a slightly lighter shade and the bottom half was dyed just about every colour of the rainbow. This was her _stalker_!

 **Mwwahahahahahaha! Cliffhanger! Sorry, not sorry! XD I'm planning on revealing who the stalker is and what she wants in the next chapter. I can't wait to find out your reactions for that; I'm just hoping it's realistic because that's something I sometimes struggle with.**

 **Oh, and did you get the references to all the code names?! If you're a _Cars_ fan or just a general Pixar fan, most of them should've been obvious. Fudge's... not so much. I'm definitely gonna reveal that at some point. Not necessarily in this story. I'm unsure of how to go about revealing the significance of Fudge's code, but it's something I definitely wanna do.**

 **See you all in the next chapter where all shall be revealed.**


	21. Identities Revealed

****Before I begin, just a couple of quick responses to some reviews.****

 ** **DigiHeavenous: Thank you**** ** _ **so**_** ** **much for your review! You have no idea how happy that made me! You are awesome! :)****

 ** **Agent Sandra Cartrip: I knew**** ** _ **The Italian Job**_** ** **was a movie, but I completely forgot that Michael Caine was in it! That part was just a happy accident! :)****

 ** **Here it is! Who is this stalker? What do they want? You're about to find out! Oh, God! I'm both excited and nervous for this part. I know you've all been excited for it and I don't want it to be a disappointment. I'm kinda worried it'll be seen as stupid, unrealistic or simply not very good. Or a combination of all three. I hope not, though. But I should let you guys be the judge of that...****

 ** **Warning:**** ** **Again, some implied swearing in this chapter, but again, I've used asterisks. I hope I haven't missed any.****

 ** **Chapter 21- Identities Revealed****

"Mmmmmphhhh, mmmppph, __mmmmmppphhh__!" Fudge shrieked. Her words were supposed to be, "Let me __go__!", but it was hard for anybody to talk when someone had their hand over their mouth.

Where was this woman __taking__ her? The eleven-year-old didn't know nor did she care. All she knew was that she had to get away,

So, she bit the woman's hand and elbowed her in the stomach. In response, she yelped and pulled her hand away, doubling over and allowing Fudge to run.

"Hey!" the older human shouted, apparently recovering straight away and beginning to chase the girl.

Fudge dared herself to turn around and saw how close the stalker was. Damn. She was fast. There was no chance that she was gonna be able to get away. Oh, God! What was she supposed to do?! It was times like these when Fudge seriously wished that she was a car like the rest of her family. __Then__ she'd be able to outrun her pursuer.

Fudge felt her heart just about stop when she found herself cornered by the woman. Oh, God, oh, God! This was it! She was going to die here. She knew that. She just hoped that this woman would make it as pain-free as possible.

Wait! Fudge reached inside her denim jacket with shaking hands and felt something cold and hard. Yes. She still had her gun! __Thank you, Finn!__ she thought to herself (never thought that she'd think __that__ ), reaching to pull it out. __Warning shots only__ , she reminded herself.

"Stop!" the older woman shouted when she caught her first glimpse of the gun concealed inside of the girl's jacket. "I'm not gonna hurt you."

Fudge paused. She had no idea what to say to that. This woman was a __stalker__! Of __course__ she was gonna hurt her!

The stalker cleared her throat. "I'm sorry... I believe that... there's been a misunderstanding." She reached into __her__ jacket and pulled something out. It was a badge. Like the ones secret agents had on TV. "Agent Samantha Rose. Call me Sammy."

Now, Fudge was really confused. "What?"

"I'm one of the agents that was supposed to taking this case", she explained. "My partner was in danger, so he had to ditch the photo and pass it on to your tow truck friend."

Well, __that__ cleared things up a little bit, but Fudge still had a __lot__ more questions.

"If you're an agent, then why were you stalking me?"

"Oh, you thought..." The serious-looking agent cracked a smile. "Holy Chrysler! Everything's all fu... screwed up, isn't it?" she corrected herself, realising that she shouldn't curse (a habit of hers) in front of a child. She stopped smiling when she noticed Fudge's expression. "I wasn't __stalking__ you! I was just trying to protect you and the tow truck."

"Why didn't you just __talk__ to us?" Fudge wondered.

"I __tried__!" she insisted sounding like she was explaining this to a three-year-old or a stupid person. "But the area was too compromised! I would've blown my cover! That's why I put the tracking device on you. So, I knew when would be a good time to approach."

Fudge stared at the tracking device, still stuck in her palm. "But you were working for the Lemons! You... you..."

"I was __not__ working for the Lemons!" Sammy informed the girl. "Though, for a while, they __thought__ I did..."

* * *

Flashback: The Night of the Pre-Race Party:

"Hey, Hannah!" Acer called to her. "You coming?"

"Yeah!" Grem added. "Boss has a job for us!"

Sammy rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah, boys, I'm coming!" she responded, following them towards a black transporter truck, which they'd been using to get around.

The second that any civilians were out of both sight and earshot, the two immediately began hitting her.

"Hey!" Sammy shouted, trying to reach for her gun. "What are you __doing__?!"

The Gremlin and Pacer grinned devilishly, pinning her down, so she couldn't defend herself.

"We know your secret", Grem informed her.

"There __is__ no Hannah Fielding, is there?" Acer demanded.

The human burst out laughing. "What are you talking about?! Of __course__ there is!"

"Oh, really?" Grem snapped, going into her pocket and pulling out a badge. "Then why does __this__ say Agent Samantha Rose?!"

"Now, boys", she began. "That is invasion of privacy."

"Oh!" they scoffed. "You're lucky you think that's __all__ you've got to worry about!"

And with that, they threw her in the truck alongside a very scratched and dented Rod "Torque" Redline, the dark blue muscle car Fudge had seen.

* * *

Sammy didn't remember much of being in the truck. All she knew was that some time later, she was forced out of her dress and tied up in an abandoned warehouse, deliberately keeping her confiscated weapons only __just__ tauntingly out of reach. Rod was above the ground, hanging from a magnet with parking boots on each of his front wheels.

"I gotta admit", Grem began, looking from one agent to the other, "you both tricked us real good!"

"And we don't like being tricked!" Acer added.

Rod just laughed.

"Hey! What's so funny?!" Acer demanded.

"Oh, you know", he responded casually. "I was just wearing a disguise. You guys are __stuck__ looking like that."

"Be __careful__ , Rod!" Sammy whispered to herself fearfully. Despite how smart and tough she was, she was only twenty-two years old and still relatively new to the field. She'd never been in this kind of situation before and was __very__ afraid. Not that she'd ever admit it, of course.

They released the magnet from Rod, dropping him onto a treadmill. A fuel tank was pushed closer to him and the cars started filling him up.

"Allinol?" Rod read the tank. "Thanks, fellas! I hear this stuff is good for you."

Sammy struggled in her ropes to try and do something. There's no way they'd give him Allinol unless it really was dangerous.

As she predicted, she heard Professor Z call, "So you think!", as he appeared on a lift (talk about a dramatic entrance!). "Allinol be itself is good for you", he explained, pressing something to make Rod start driving on the treadmill. "But after microscopic examination, I found that it has one small weakness. When hit with an electromagnetic pulse, it becomes extremely dangerous!"

Grem got out the "camera" and aimed it at Rod. "Smile for the camera!"

Sammy's heart rate spiked up. __Oh, God!__ she thought. __What are you gonna do to him?__

"Is that all you want?" Rod retorted. "I got a whole act!"

"You and your associate were very interested in this camera on the oil platform", Professor Z reminded him. "Now, you will witness what it really does."

"Whatever you say, Professor."

Acer brought forward a TV monitor, showing photos from the party the previous night. "You talked up a lot of cars last night. Which one's your other associate?" He glared at Sammy, who was watching the scene, horrified. "We know that b**ch ain't the only one."

"Your mother!" Rod answered. "Oh, no, I'm sorry. It was your sister. You know, I can't tell 'em apart these days."

Grem was getting impatient. "Could I start it now, Professor Z?"

"Go fifty percent power", the German weapon designer instructed him.

" ** **NO!**** " Sammy shouted as Grem did as he was told. " ** **DON'T HURT HIM!**** "

" ** **SHUT UP!**** " one of the other henchmen barked, hitting her in the head.

"I'll be fine, Sammy!" Rod assured her, but he doubted that himself.

"This camera is actually an electromagnetic pulse emitter", Zundapp explained.

" ** **NO!**** " Sammy repeated.

"What about her?!" Acer quizzed Rod, showing a photo of the American agent disguised as a Lemon, talking to a pretty Japanese car at the party. "Did you give it to her?!"

"The Allinol is now heating to a boil", Professor Z went on, "dramatically expanding, causing the engine block to crack under the stress, forcing oil into the combustion chamber."

Acer kept going with his interrogation, now showing a picture of a red car. "How about him?! Did you talk to him?!"

"What do I care?!" Rod snapped. "I can replace an engine block!"

"You may be able to", Zundapp agreed, "but after full impact of the pulse, unfortunately, there will be nothing to replace."

"How about him?! Does he have it?!"

The car on the screen was Mater! And, unfortunately, the flicker of recognition in Rod's eyes failed to escape the attention of the professor.

"That's him", the German car announced. "He's the one."

"Roger that, Professor Z", Grem replied.

" ** **NO!**** " the two American spies yelled in unison.

"Yes, sir", Professor Z confirmed something to someone through a radio. "We believe the infiltrators have passed along sensitive information."

"Sammy!" Rod cried desperately to his partner. "Listen to me! I don't think I'm gonna make it outta here alive-"

"Don't __say__ that!" she shouted at him, her eyes filling with tears.

" _ _Listen__ to me!" he repeated. "I need you to do what you can to escape and finish this for me! Got it?"

Sammy nodded. "Roger that." She had no idea how she was going to escape... until she spotted something shiny just out of her reach. A knife. Just a little closer...

"I will take care of it before any damage can be done", Zundapp assured whoever he was talking to. He turned back to face the other Lemons. "The project is still on schedule", he reported. "You will find the third agent and kill him."

He flipped a switch on the camera.

" ** **ROD!**** " Sammy shrieked, looking away.

The human agent felt sick when she heard the explosion.

" _ _No__!" she cried, sobbing. "No... No..."

Yes. Rod "Torque" Redline was dead.

The Lemons all smirked at each other. "Oh, well!" they exclaimed brightly. They turned their smirks over to Sammy herself. "Guess that means we can have more fun with you now!"

The other agent gulped. "Oh, s**t!" she whispered to herself, reaching for the knife.

"What do you wanna do to her?" Grem quizzed the others.

Acer grinned. "I got a couple ideas. Question is... are you guys thinkin' the same thing?"

"I think I am!"

Unfortunately, none of them realised that she had the knife until it was too late.

" ** **DAMMIT!**** " Acer screeched, noticing that the woman was on her feet and grabbing hold of her gun.

"All right, you sick sons of b**ches!" Sammy snarled, twirling the gun in her hands. "Gimme one good reason why I shouldn't murder you all right now!"

Professor Z glared at her before giving the order to his henchmen. "Get her!"

But Sammy was much too quick on the trigger, sending a shower of bullets all around the room. Not many hit any of the Lemons and none hit any of them fatally, but it was enough to catch them off guard and allow Sammy to shoot a grappling hook out of another gun and launch it at the window. She was almost all the way up the window when a something came flying behind her. The woman ducked. And it wasn't until it went right through the rope and slammed into the wall that she realised that it was a knife!

 _ _S**t!__ she thought, struggling to grab hold of the windowsill with both hands. __Come__ __on! Just a little more!__

"Just shoot her already!" a voice came from beneath her.

She pulled herself up and through the window and slid down the other side. " _ _Yes__!" she hissed, making her way to a safe spot where she could radio in a helicopter to pick her up.

But her troubles were far from over. The ships outside began firing missiles at her in a fury. Still, she managed to expertly avoid each one, jumping and rolling out of the way. __Perhaps you taught me well, Rod!__ she couldn't help thinking proudly as she jumped up and brushed herself off.

The helicopter seemed to take an eternity to reach her. She'd radioed ages ago! If she hadn't gotten to a safe location, she'd definitely be dead by now. And what do you know?

"There she is!" Grem's voice chose that __exact__ moment to shout out.

"S**t!" she whispered, her heart racing as she pulled out her gun, wondering just how many cars there were after her.

Just Grem and Acer. She sighed with relief. This was gonna be a piece of cake. Aiming her gun just right, she fired low to the ground, hitting both cars in the tyres. They deflated quickly, causing Sammy to nod in satisfaction.

What made things even greater was that her getaway chopper had arrived. It lowered itself down just enough to allow Sammy in and then took to the skies once more. While the human agent was relieved to have made her getaway, she couldn't fight the pain in her heart. They'd lost Rod that night. __She__ lost Rod. Her mentor, her partner, her friend.

Although it hurt, it made Sammy even more determined than before. The last things he ever said to her replayed in her mind over and over again. __I need you to do what you can__ __to escape and finish this for me! Got it?__ Well, she was gonna honour Rod's memory and finish this mission if it was the last thing she did.

* * *

Back in the present day:

The human woman shook her head remorsefully. "Can't believe the two of you got mixed up in all of this."

"Yeah..." Fudge agreed, not entirely sure if she believed... Sammy, was it? Though, if it __was__ all true, then it certainly cleared up how they'd been mistaken for spies and what the Lemons wanted from them. "Me neither..."

"Are you okay?" Sammy questioned.

"Just..." Fudge found her brain overloaded with questions. But she only asked one. The most persistent one to stick in her head. "If you're one of the good guys, then why did you blow up that café in Paris?"

"That wasn't me! That was the Lemons!" she explained. "They've must've followed me to Paris when I went to find you!"

"Okay..." How could Fudge be so sure that she was telling the truth?

"So, I just thought I'd let you know that I'll take it from here. And, so... I guess you're free to go now. Off you go. Leave it to a professional. What's some dumb kid gonna do in this kind of situation anyways?" Sammy questioned with a shrug. She looked around, not noticing Fudge's glare. "Where's McMissile?"

"He... got taken."

There was a pause. "Oh."

Before Fudge got the chance to respond, they heard someone shouting, "Whoa!", high above them, prompting both humans to look up. The younger one smiled. That voice sounded familiar.

" ** **MATER****!" she hollered, waving up to the tow truck. He had an orange parachute, allowing him to sail through the air.

Luckily, he glanced down and noticed his human friend. " ** **FUDGE!**** " he yelled, whipping out his tow hook. "Hang on!"

Fudge flipped her watch to let the magnet connect to the hook (if only she had her bigger magnets, but they were in her lost luggage from when she was supposed to return home) and her heart stopped when Sammy grabbed hold of it too. But there was nothing she could do about it.

"Whoa!" she cried as Mater reeled them both in and they climbed into his truck bed.

"Where are you going?" Fudge asked the tow truck.

"Well, my computer done did some things I didn't want it to do and I done got this chute by mistake and-" He stopped and gasped. "McQueen!" he shouted.

Fudge couldn't really see where he was looking, but she noticed that he shot out his tow hook again and, all of a sudden, there were moving a lot faster. She looked down to see that they were being pulled along by a boat towards the racetrack!

The eleven-year-old then turned to Sammy, who was checking her own watch, one similar to the one she had.

"Good thing we're going this way", she remarked. "Says here we're getting closer to A113."

 ** **So, there you have it! The stalker was one of the good guys this whole time! In case you missed it, I**** ** _ **did**_** ** **include a subtle hint during the party in Japan. Holley says to Mater, "Um... I'm assuming this is the human associate?", referring to Fudge. By that, I meant to imply that Rod Redline had one and, yeah, well, this is her. One time, when I was watching**** ** _ **Cars 2**_** ** **for, like, the**** ** _ **billionth**_** ** **time, I figured that it would make sense to bring a human associate into the picture in order for Fudge to be mistaken for a spy. When the idea first began to form in my head, I'd been planning on killing her off with Rod, but then, I got this idea for a stalker and... This is what came of it.****

 ** **Sorry for repeating too much of the movie with nothing original during that flashback scene. I just wasn't sure how to get it to flow properly without it all. That's something I've been kind of struggling with at the moment since I'm writing Fudge in**** ** _ **Cars 3**_** ** **. I don't wanna just repeat the movies, especially when Fudge or any of my other OCs aren't there, but I don't wanna leave out the important stuff either.****

 ** **Disclaimer:**** ** **I don't own**** ** _ **Cars**_** ** **, but I do own Fudge as well as Sammy.****

 ** **Okay. I think that's my rambling done. Please review.****


	22. Fudge and Mater Save the Day! Almost

**Stupid FFN keeps turning my chapters into stupid code! It's so annoying (and stupid)!**

 **Anyway, hi! Welcome back to a brand new chapter of _When Life Gives You Lemons_! Thanks for all of those reviews! Thanks to all of you guys, this is now my most reviewed story! So, thank you so much! And I'm glad that my little twist had the outcome that I was hoping for! So, enjoy this new chapter.**

 **Chapter 22- Fudge and Mater Save the Day... Almost**

"Ain't that yer stalker, Fudge?" Mater questioned as they flew over Porto Corsa, looking at the two humans in his rearview mirror.

"Yes and no..." Fudge responded uncertainly.

"It's a long story", Sammy added.

"Aw right." Mater didn't ask any questions.

"Do you know who the guy is?" Fudge quizzed her fellow human.

There was an awkward pause.

"Well, um... No, actually."

"How? Aren't _you_ the one who planted the tracking device?" She thought that whoever planted the tracking device would know who the Big Boss was for sure.

"I didn't spend much time with him on the oil platform!" the agent explained. "And it was dark when I planted that tracking device." She tossed her rainbow hair over her shoulder. "A good agent gets what he can and gets out before he's killed."

Fudge nodded, remembering Holley saying something like that and it was clearly something Finn had told _her_. Had Rod told Sammy the same thing? Still, it seemed to Fudge like if Sammy was really who she said she was, then she should know who the Big Boss was.

"McQueen!" Mater's voice jolted Fudge from her thoughts. " _ **MCQUEEN**_ **!** "

Out of nowhere, Mater released his tow hook from the boat and he was dropping out of the sky! Sammy shoved Fudge down onto the floor of the flatbed and threw herself on top of the girl to protect her. That got the girl thinking. Would she have really done that if she didn't care about her? Or was it just part of a plan?

There were several loud crashes and Fudge felt pain radiate through her entire body as they made their way towards the ground very quickly. She wished that she could see what was going on, but with her eyes closed in fear and Sammy blocking her view, there was no way that was gonna happen.

That's when she heard the scream. The girl opened her eyes and shifted her head ever so slightly, so she saw the souvenir stand and the forklift running it right at the _very_ last second. Sammy shoved Fudge back into her original position. Thank Chrysler (or maybe thank _Sammy_ ) for that. While the amount of pain in the child's body increased, she knew it could've been a lot worse. They all got through that alive. A little sore and covered in _Francesco_ merchandise, but alive.

"Thank Chrysler _that's_ over!" Fudge panted, sitting up in Mater's truck bed.

"Now, we gotta warn McQueen!" Mater yelled.

Fudge looked blank and spoke with an expression to match. "About what?"

Both of the other two gave her an odd look, Mater's coming through his rearview mirror.

"Haven't you heard?" Sammy asked.

"He's still usin' Allinol for the final race!" Mater shrieked hysterically.

" _ **WHAT**_ **?!** " Fudge cried.

"They're gonna kill 'im, Fudge!" Mater no longer sounded hysterical. His voice was soft and downright petrified. "We gotta do somethin'!"

By that point, they'd reached gates to get into the racetrack area. A line of car and human members of the press were all waiting to get approved by security and be allowed access into the grounds. But Mater zoomed directly to the front. Sammy pulled Fudge back down again. The older human was hoping that Mater could somehow get through and that meant that the two humans automatically got through without having to do anything.

"Let me through! Let me through!" he shouted, his panicked state returning. "You gotta let me in! I gotta get through to warn McQueen!"

"You cannot-a come through here!" one of the two security cars informed the tow truck. "Back up, _signore_!"

"We have a lunatic at gate nine", the other one reported into his radio.

"No, listen! I was disguised as a tow truck to infiltrate this Lemon meeting and my weapon system started misinterpretin' what I'm sayin'!"

"I repeat, lunatic at gate nine!"

Although _Fudge_ understand what the hell Mater was talking about, the security guards didn't and to them, the ridiculous story, along with all of the Francesco merchandise all over him, really _did_ make him seem like a lunatic. Which wasn't getting them anywhere.

"McQueen!" Mater called. "McQueen!"

Fudge wanted to ask the tow truck what was going on, but she knew she had to stay quiet and hidden if they wanted to get in. All of a sudden, Mater was zigzagging all over the place. The security cars were ordering him to stop, but he refused to listen. He reversed and crashed through the gates, tearing into the racetrack area and shedding the Francesco merchandise on the ground, still ignoring the calls of the security guards.

"That was frickin' awesome, Mater! I didn't think you could pull that off!" Sammy exclaimed.

Fudge stared at her in surprise. What did she mean by that? This was a woman the child just simply didn't understand.

"Couldn't we get in trouble for being in here?" Fudge questioned anxiously, glancing back at the security guards.

"Would you rather McQueen dies?" Sammy snapped. Fudge's eyes widened and she looked even more afraid. The woman shrugged. "I'm sorry, Fudge, but that's the reality of this", she added bluntly.

"Okay..." What was _with_ Sammy?

The agent leapt up out of the truck bed, Fudge following, both of the humans pulling Francesco toys and headbands and Chrysler knew what else from them. She turned to the tow truck and human girl beside her. "Fudge, Mater-"

"How do you know our names?" Mater cut in.

The American agent rolled her eyes. "Because I'm a _stalker_ , apparently. Anyway, time's-a wasting! You two go warn McQueen! I'll go find Ol' A113."

"You got it!" Mater assured her. He took to find Lightning and the eleven-year-old was right behind him.

"Why even _is_ Lightning using Allinol for the final race?!" Fudge wondered, talking to herself more than anybody else as she and Mater shuffled their way through the crowd of press members. "Didn't he _see_ that massive crash?!"

"Fillmore done said it was safe!" Mater explained. "And McQueen said he didn't stand by a friend of his recently and that he wasn't gonna make the same mistake twice!"

"I'm gonna ki- Let's find Lightning!" Fudge had been about to swear to kill Fillmore, but, given the situation, she thought the better of it.

"Hey! There he is!" Mater shouted before he began calling out to him. "McQueen!

Fudge joined in. "McQueen! MCQUEEN! IT'S ME! FUDGE!"

Mater's shouts got Lightning's attention as he was surrounded by the press for winning the day's race. "That really sounded like..." He caught sight of what looked to be a familiar tow truck. "Mater. Mater?"

Then he heard someone else's voice. "McQueen! MCQUEEN! IT'S ME! FUDGE!"

"Fudge?"

"MCQUEEN, THEY'RE GONNA _KILL_ YOU!"

"Mater!" Lightning ignored the flashing reporters and reporters and photographers calling his name, trying to get to his best friend. "Excuse me!"

"No, no! Where are you going?!"

Lightning didn't answer, just made his way through, repeating, "Mater! _Scusi_. Mater! _Scusi_."

"He's coming this way!" Fudge observed.

"Keep shoutin'!" Mater instructed her. "McQueen!"

"McQueen!" Fudge added. " **MCQUEEN!** "

" **MCQUEEN!** " Mater continued to holler.

But the tow truck didn't hear the piercing scream until it was too late. He looked to his left where the scream had come from and gasped. Fudge was gone!

Lightning had heard the scream too and was alarmed. He knew exactly who it was.

"Fudge!" he exclaimed, even more determined than before to get through the large crowd to his friends.

Meanwhile, Mater had just realised the same horror. "Fudge!"

He turned to see the little girl being dragged away by a group of black Hugos with Professor Z ordering them around. Mater could only just make out her face, her expression one of sheer terror. In an instant, he knew that he would never forget that look. It was a look no child- especially not Fudge, his innocent, goofy little sister- should hold.

Without thinking, he charged after her. "Let 'er go!" he screamed at the Lemons. "Let 'er go!"

"Mater, _no_!" Fudge cried, growing even more frightened as the tow truck captured her kidnappers' attention.

"Don't hurt 'er!" he pleaded, apparently not fazed by the situation and only worrying about his little sister. "She's jus' a li'l girl! Please don't hurt 'er!"

"Mater!" Fudge repeated hysterically.

Professor Z and the Hugos glanced at each other. They were all grinning sinisterly. It was quite obvious what they were thinking.

Meanwhile...

"Mater, Mater!" Lightning kept calling, pushing through the cars. He was finally close to where he thought he saw his best friend. "Mater, I'm so glad to see you. I'm so sorry-"

"Lightning McQueen!" a voice exclaimed. Only it wasn't Mater. Or Fudge. It was Ivan! "I am a huge fan!"

Lightning was both confused and disappointed. "I'm sorry. I thought I heard-"

"Yes, that was me", Ivan lied. "I said, 'You killed out there today.' You're the best!"

"What?" He tried to recover. "I mean, thanks." And with that he was escorted away by another car, murmuring to himself more than anybody else, "I really thought I heard my friends..."

"In England, you will be finished... at the finish line!" Ivan declared, reversing away from the crowd.

Lightning had to go and talk to the press and was quick to dismiss what he heard as his imagination. He was completely oblivious to the fact that he'd really seen and heard the tow truck and human girl. And equally oblivious to what was happening to the two of them at that very moment.

Both Mater and Fudge had had duct tape slapped over their mouths. Mater was being dragged by his tow hook by one of the Hugos whereas Fudge had her wrists and ankles tied together and was sprawled out on another Hugo's hood. If she really wanted to, she could've rolled right off the hood of the car, but she knew that if she did _that_ , then this Hugo would quite easily just run her over. Yeah. Probably not a good idea.

The two of them struggled and let out muffled cries until they were thrown in a black transporter truck.

"Ow!" Fudge tried to yelp as she hit the floor of the transporter.

"Hey, Professor!" a black Pacer named Tedison, who was guarding the transporter, shouted. "I understand why we're kidnapping the American spy, but what's some dumb kid gonna do to stop us?"

"She's been with _Finn McMissile_ , you lug nut!" a black Gremlin named Fitzwilliam hissed at him. "She knows too much! Sher could totally rat us out!"

"To who?" Tedison mocked. "Her mommy?"

" **ENOUGH!** " Professor Zundapp barked. "Fitzwilliam is right, Tedison. She _has_ been with Finn McMissile. _And_ she is Lightning McQueen's cheerleader. She could inform him of our plans."

"Oh, right", Tedison mumbled, embarrassed.

It was hard for Fudge to adjust her position, but she did, staring at her capturers, horrified. Then, to make things even worse, she saw some more Lemons coming. As if that wasn't bad enough, amongst them, Fudge could see some familiar rainbow locks. A second later, the woman's face came into view. She, too, had duct tape over her mouth. _Oh no!_ she thought, her eyes widening to at least twice their original size. The bad news was Sammy had also been captured. The good news was that if she _had_ been captured, then that meant that she really _was_ on their side... Didn't it?

Mater's duct tape came loose and he was able to shout very clearly, "Let us go!"

Zundapp smirked at the pair. "You actually care about that race car? A pity you didn't warn him in time."

And with that, the trailer door slammed shut.

"Mater?" Fudge whimpered fearfully, her voice muffled from her mouth still being covered by the duct tape. It was dark and the human girl couldn't see a thing, but she had her hands stretched out behind her and she was able to nuzzle Mater's tyre. Until moments ago, it had been quiet too, save for Fudge's hyperventilating and the series of muffled voices outside, neither Mater nor Fudge being able to decipher the actual words being spoken.

"Yeah, Fudge?"

"I'm really scared!"

He gave her a gentle nuzzle. "It's gonna be okay", he assured her, yanking the duct tape from her mouth.

She cried out in pain.

"Sorry, sorry!" Mater apologised hurriedly.

Fudge didn't answer him. She just started banging on the door as loud and as hard as she could with her hands tied behind her back. " **LET ME OUT!** _ **PLEASE**_ **!** "

"Fudge!" Mater cried helplessly. He had no idea what to say to her. He'd never seen Fudge so upset or afraid.

"Mater? What's gonna happen to Lightning?"

There was a pause.

"I don't know", Mater admitted quietly.

"I don't want him to..." She couldn't say the last word. She just couldn't. It was like it was physically impossible.

"Me neither."

"I'm so scared, Mater!" Fudge repeated. "I _told_ you I didn't wanna do this!"

Mater lowered his hood. He felt like Fudge was calling him a fool. She wasn't trying to imply in any way that this was Mater's fault. She was just reminding him of this fact.

The tow truck was about to reply when a strong, _really_ bad smell swept over them.

"Mater? That's not you... is it?" Fudge's voice called from the darkness.

Mater was too afraid to answer. Instead, he gasped, knowing exactly what that smell was. Sleeping gas.

Fudge's heart raced. So did her mind. She felt her thoughts fly through her mind without enough time to comprehend them, especially since her eyelids were already getting heavy. _This has to be a dream, right? It_ has _to be! There's no way that this is_ really _happening..._ _right? You're gonna be fine, Fudge! You'll see. When you wake up, you'll be back at home in_ _Radiator Springs. In Casa Della Tires. With Luigi and Guido. Finn, Holley, Sammy and all those_ _Lemons don't exist and the entire World Grand Prix has all been some kind of crazy dream!_

Those were the last thoughts to enter the eleven-year-old's brain before she succumbed to the effects of the sleeping gas and fell into a deep sleep. Next to her, Mater followed suit.

 **Okay. That's chapter twenty-two done. I hope you enjoyed it. And hey! If you've read my story, _Vacation Crashers_ , you'll recognise my OCs, Tedison and Fitzwilliam. Ridiculous names, I know. They came from a conversation with my friend, PinkCookie11, whose work you should check out by the way.**

 **Yeah. Despite the story she gave, Fudge doesn't completely trust Sammy at this point. Even so, she doesn't exactly... not trust her either. She's unsure about that at this point. And I hope how she doesn't know who the Big Boss is currently is realistic. I just didn't want her to know because I think that would ruin the great ending to _Cars 2_ (since it was deliberately done that nobody knew who the Big Boss was, so Mater could figure it out).**

 **So, those are my thoughts. I would love to hear yours. Please review.**


	23. Panic

**Yeah, that's right! I'm back! Just another filler chapter here and I named it after what I feel is the main theme in it, but first, some more responses to reviews.**

 **DigiHeavenous: Yeah, I know Sammy still seems a little suspicious. I kinda figured that it would be unrealistic if Fudge just trusts her immediately. Even _if_ she is on the good side...**

 **Bladeisheroic1: No, I will _NOT_ remove _Vacation Crashers_. That story was not inappropriate in any way or copied from someone else that would require it to be taken down. Therefore, you had no right to ask me to remove it and I'm extremely insulted that you did. I'll admit that _Vacation Crashers_ was not my favourite story either, but lots of other people enjoyed it and I'm not going to delete it just for you. If you don't like it, don't read it. It's as simple as that.**

 **Chapter 23- Panic**

"Out with it", Sarge ordered flatly once Team McQueen arrived in their hotel in London, England and they were in the elevator up to their rooms.

They had made it to London a couple of hours earlier, still entirely unaware of the trouble Mater and Fudge were in. After getting past the press at the airport, the five cars had taken a scenic drive on their way to the hotel. Luckily, it seemed like all of the racers had or would recover in time for the third and final race in the World Grand Prix.

Lightning looked at Sarge blankly. "Out with what?"

"Something's obviously been bothering you since the race in Italy", Sarge replied, "and I wanna know what. So, out with it."

Lightning sighed sadly. "After the race... I really thought I heard Mater and Fudge."

Immediately, Lightning had Luigi and Guido's full attention.

"You heard Fudge?" Luigi asked.

"Well, I _thought_ I did!" Lightning corrected him. "I could've sworn I heard her shout, 'McQueen! It's me! Fudge!' Then I thought I heard her scream." (Guido and Luigi looked nervous at that last piece of news.) "Mater was calling out to me too. And I thought I saw him... but it was another tow truck. It wasn't Mater."

Sarge sighed as the elevator stopped on their floor with a ding and the doors opened. "Look, soldier", he began as they all rolled out and moved into the hallway, "I think it's obvious that you're upset over your fight with Mater. Why don't you just call him? You're not gonna feel any better until you do."

Lightning looked doubtful. "Are you sure he'd wanna talk to me? I mean, back in Tokyo, I said some things-"

"It's Mater", Luigi reminded him.

"He's right, man", Fillmore agreed. "Mater's gonna wanna hear from you."

The others all chimed in with their agreement.

Lightning sighed, realising that his friends were right. "All right. I'll call once we've gotten settled in here."

* * *

And so, he did. As soon as he entered hotel room 624, Lightning tried to get through his packing as fast as possible (just because he was fast on the track, that didn't mean that he was fast at _everything_ ; like packing and unpacking!), so he could get on the phone with Radiator Springs quicker. When he was done, he got out his phone and scrolled through his contacts till he found Sally's name. Even though he was calling with the main goal of talking to Mater, he was hoping to talk to everyone else as well, especially Sally. Plus, he promised Luigi and Guido that he'd let them speak to Fudge when he was done.

 _Ring, ring! Ring, ri_ -

"Hey, Stickers!" that familiar voice greeted him.

Lightning lit up in an instant. "Hey, Sally!"

"So, you made it! How was your flight?"

"It was... all right." He could hardly think about his flight. The entire time he was on that plane, he couldn't get Mater and Fudge out of his mind. He really thought he'd heard them...

"How's London?"

"I haven't seen much of it, but from what I _have_ seen, it looks amazing." He sighed. "I really wish you were here."

"Me too. I can't wait to see you again in a couple of days... So, is the final race still going ahead? Didn't most of the racers crash?"

"Yeah, but most of them had been cleared to race."

A pause followed.

"You okay, Sal?"

She sighed. "I guess I'm just a little worried about you using Allinol... Are you _sure_ you wanna do it?"

"Fillmore said the fuel's safe", Lightning repeated what he told the reporters. "I trust him."

"And _I_ trust _you_... Just be safe, all right?"

"Come on, Sal. You know who you're talking to? This is Lightning McQueen! I can handle anything!"

Sally laughed. "Okay!"

They talked for a little while longer before Lightning took a deep breath and asked, "Anyway, is- is Mater there?"

There was another pause. This one a lot more awkward.

"What are you talking about? Isn't he with _you_?"

"No", Lightning replied, beginning to feel _very_ afraid and kinda sick. "He and Fudge went home after the first race."

"Mater and Fudge?" Sally echoed, puzzled. "They're not here."

"But... that's impossible!" Lightning insisted. "They went home! Mater left me a letter to say he was leaving!" He still had the letter in his luggage, so he pulled it out and read it out loud to Sally, his voice beginning to shake. "Fudge left one for Luigi and Guido too!"

"I don't know what to tell you, Stickers", Sally responded gently when he was done. "Mater and Fudge aren't here. I haven't seen them since you guys got on the plane to Tokyo."

Lightning was speechless. He felt his eyes fill with tears. He couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"Stickers?" Sally's voice was quiet and just as fearful as Lightning felt. "Are you okay?"

" _I'm_ fine!" he snapped, trying to choke back his sobs. "It's Mater and Fudge I'm worried about!"

He couldn't help it. Lightning McQueen just started sobbing like a child. He'd cried like that a lot when Doc passed, but he thought he was done with that. Now, that he'd potentially lost two of his closest friends- one of whom was his _best_ friend!- he was starting it up again.

Sally was concerned. "Stickers?"

"I... I'll be fine, Sally", he assured her, answering her unvoiced question. He gave a shaky sigh, not really wanting to talk anymore. "I gotta go... I'll call you another time."

"But Stickers-" his girlfriend began to protest.

"Bye, Sal", Lightning cut her off.

He hung up and felt his sobs increase. He just couldn't stop himself. He was so afraid for his friends. And none of this would've happened if it wasn't for him.

* * *

After about a minute, Lightning heard a knock at his door.

"Soldier?" It was Sarge and he sounded just as concerned as Sally had been. (It didn't surprise Lightning. Ever since Doc's death, Sarge, to some extent, had taken on the role as the father figure.) "Can we come in?"

Lightning didn't really feel like talking to anybody, but he knew that they'd have to know what was going on. So, reluctantly, he went to the door and opened it to find not only Sarge, but Fillmore, Guido and Luigi there. "Yeah..." he sniffled, trying and failing to collect himself. "Yeah... Sure... Come on in, guys."

So, they all filed into Lightning's hotel room, knowing that something was very wrong. For a little while, nobody said anything.

"McQueen?" Luigi was the one to break the silence. "Is something wrong?"

Lightning glared at him. "What do you _think_?!" he snapped. "That I'm just sitting here sobbing like a child because nothing's wrong?! Of _course_ there's something wrong!"

"Care to tell us what it is?" Sarge prompted.

The number 95 racer took a deep breath. "Mater and Fudge never made it back home!"

A shocked silence reigned over the group. Again, Luigi was the one to break it.

" _What_?!" he gasped.

"I just got off the phone with Sally and... and I asked to talk to Mater, but she didn't know what I was _talking_ about! She thought Mater and Fudge were with _us_! I had to tell her about their letters and everything!"

" _Fudgie_!" Guido rasped out as he, too, began to cry, setting off Luigi.

"If they were gonna go home and they didn't, they could be _anywhere_!" Lightning wailed. "They could've gotten on the wrong plane like in _Home Alone 2_ and ended up in Russia or someplace! Their plane could've crashed! Have you guys heard about any plane crashes in the news recently? Or they could've-"

"Stop it, soldier!" Sarge ordered, not entirely unkindly. He felt sorry for the race car, but he had to get him to stop talking. Luigi and Guido were just about ready to faint. "Guido and Luigi's _daughter_ is missing!"

"Well, so's my best friend!" Lightning reminded him. "And it's all my fault!"

"No, it's not!" Sarge insisted calmly. "I know you can easily _think_ it is in a situation like this, but it's not."

Next to them, Luigi struggled to calm himself down. "I just hope they are both okay wherever they are!"

* * *

Meanwhile, Holley was the first one to wake up when she arrived in London along with Finn, Fudge, Mater and Sammy. In fact, she was still in a transporter when she awoke. Only, there were now new people in there from when she was initially knocked out. She remembered Finn being in the trailer when the gas kicked in. Now, he was unconscious along with Fudge, Mater and Fudge's stalker. Wait... What was _she_ doing here? Didn't she work for the Lemons? Why had they kidnapped _her_?

Holley was about to get answers. The stalker had just woken up.

"Who _are_ you?" the British spy wanted to know.

"Oh! I'm the agent you and McMissile were supposed to meet in Tokyo. Agent Rose. The human associate?" she added at Holley's blank expression. "I'd show you my badge, but..." She showed Holley her hands tied together behind her back.

"But..." Holley was utterly confused. " _Fudge_ is the human associate." She looked to the unconscious child.

"I'm sorry. I believe there's been some kind of misunderstanding", Sammy informed her. She nodded at Mater and Fudge. "Those two are not spies. It was me and my partner, Rod Redline, who you were supposed to meet, not those two. His cover was compromised, so he was forced to pass on the device to Mater."

"But that's imposs-" Holley began.

"A Volkswagen Karmann Ghia has no radiator", Sammy interrupted.

Holley's eyes widened at those words. It was true. It was really true. Fudge and Mater weren't spies at all. She couldn't believe that this could have possibly happened, but it seemed as though it had.

"But... we thought you were a stalker, working for the Lemons!" Holley declared.

"I _know_."

Before Holley could think about it for long, light flooded into their trailer. In front of them were an army of black Gremlins, Pacers, Hugos and Trunkovs with Grem, Acer and Professor Z in front of all of them. They all had evil grins and both women began to feel nervous. Neither of them knew what these Lemons had planned for them and it was enough to freak anybody out, even spies like themselves.

The two both couldn't help taking worried glances at the tow truck and human child, sleeping side by side. They were innocent people. They didn't belong here. Whatever these cars had in mind for them, it wasn't gonna be pretty. It was probably gonna be traumatic for the two of them _if_ they lived through it. And what about their _families_? They must be so worried about them. What were _they_ gonna say, what were they gonna _think_ when they found out what was happening to them?

They didn't have long to question it, though. Before they had a lot of time to comprehend the Lemons' presence, they were both knocked out again. And Holley was horrified to find that when she awoke again, both humans were gone. The sports car dreaded to think what these evil cars could do to the more vulnerable humans.

* * *

Sally was concerned. "Stickers?"

"I... I'll be fine, Sally", he assured her, answering her unvoiced question. He gave a shaky sigh, not really wanting to talk anymore. "I gotta go... I'll call you another time."

"But Stickers-" his girlfriend began to protest.

"Bye, Sal", Lightning cut her off.

Sally heard the beep, indicating the end of the call and she stared at her phone, as if expecting it to explain to her what had just happened. Only for two seconds, though. That was how long it took before she knew what she had to do.

She, Sally Carrera, was going to London.

The Porsche wished that there was something that she could do to help Fudge and Mater, but she couldn't think of a thing. However, going to London was something that she could do for Lightning. Without his best friend, his mentor/father figure and his cheerleader, who he saw as his little sister, the guy needed all the support he could get. And she wanted to be the one to _give_ him that support. After all, she _was_ his girlfriend and had been for the past five years. It didn't take Sally long to pack the bare essentials and roll out of the Cozy Cone Motel on her way to the airport, only to be met by Sheriff.

"Hey, Miss Sally", he greeted her. Then he noticed that she had luggage and looked like she was in a hurry. "Where are you goin'?"

"London!" she replied in a hurry.

"To see McQueen?"

"Yeah... I really think he needs me to be there!"

"Why's that?"

Sally heaved a deep breath. "Mater and Fudge are missing."

Sheriff's eyes widened. " _What_?!"

" _What_?!"

Sally looked past Sheriff to see Red, Flo and Ramone had also heard the news.

"Yeah..." She had to retell the story of how Mater and Fudge were supposed to come home after the first race, but they didn't. Needless to say, everyone was shocked.

"Where do you think they are?" Flo wondered.

"I have no idea", Sally admitted. "I just know Stickers needs me."

"And Fudge and Mater need all of us", Sheriff added, the others nodding in agreement. "We'll _all_ go."

It didn't take long at all for everyone to be ready to go. After packing a few things and calling in other people to look after their businesses for a few days (namely, the Cozy Cone, Wheel Well and Flo's; they agreed that everywhere else could be closed for a while), they all met over at Flo's before heading off to the airport to get on the next available flight to London. They didn't even bother to call Lightning or any of the others, knowing that they'd insist on them staying in Radiator Springs. However, _they_ knew that that wasn't an option. They had to get to London as fast as they possibly could.

* * *

Unfortunately, as fast as they possibly could meant that they forgot to do some things. Lizzie had been asleep on her porch, completely unaware of the situation and only woke up as the sun began to sink into the horizon, leaving behind a pinkish-orange glow. She noticed that something was strange and not quite right, but the Model T couldn't put her tyre on what it was. Until it dawned on her that there were no familiar cars milling about on Main Street or over at Flo's, sipping on their cans of oil and chattering away about just about every topic under the sun. Now, there was nobody in sight. Wouldn't have most of them closed up shop and gone over to Flo's by now?

"Hey!" she exclaimed. "Where did everybody go?"

* * *

" _Good evening, ladies and gentlemen and welcome aboard Pixair flight A113 to_ _London. We hope your flight is both comfortable and enjoyable_..."

Sally gazed out the window. It was hard to see with the sunset shining directly in front of her and the fact that her eyes were building with tears. She knew the flight was most definitely _not_ going to be either comfortable or enjoyable. Nothing could be when two of their family members were _missing_. She couldn't even pay any attention to the flight safety instructions. What about Mater and Fudge's safety? Were _they_ even safe? Sally had no idea.

Normally, the Porsche would be absolutely terrified of the plane taking off, but not that time. Instead, she just felt numb. All she could feel were the tears stinging her eyes. And she only had one thought.

 _Hold on, Stickers. We're coming._

 **Couple of Easter Eggs in this chapter. Pixair, I think is kinda obvious (there was a picture of it in the end credits for _Cars 2_ ) and flight A113.**

 **Just so you know, in _Life Could Be a Dream_ , _When Life Gives You Lemons_ and _Run That Race_ (Fudge in _Cars 3_ , which will be coming soon), I am going to try and include a reference to each of the following:  
**

 **1\. A113 (Done twice in this story, once in this chapter)**

 **2\. The official release date of the movie I am writing about (also in this chapter somewhere; can you find it?)**

 **3\. The day I saw the movie I am writing about at the movies (will appear in a future chapter)**

 **So, that's about it. Please review. That will be all.**


	24. London Chase

**Guess who's back! That's right! It's me! Got a brand new chapter for y'all! I know I'm updating rather frequently, but I wanna get this done for June sixteenth! And I'm planning on publishing my new story, _Ride_ , then too, so there's something else to look forward to.**

 **One quick thing before we begin. I feel as though a couple of people (more than one, so I'm not gonna name names) are in violation of the rules for reviews and PMs that I have listed on my profile. So, if you could all just take a couple of moments to read over them and consider them before reviewing and messaging me, I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you.**

 **Warning:** **Again, some implied swearing in this one. And, again, it has been asterisked out. Just a heads up.**

 **I'm not sure how you're gonna feel about this chapter, though. I, personally, am not too happy with it. I kind of wanted it to serve two purposes. The first being to show what the Lemons think of humans. The second was to give Sammy a slightly bigger role. Not entirely sure how that worked out, though. Plus, it adds a little extra tension to the story. So, enjoy (I hope you do!).**

 **Chapter 24- London Chase**

 _Okay... There is no way that that actually_ happened _, right?_ Fudge told herself as she felt herself coming to. She remembered thinking that when she woke up, she'd be in her own home, in her own room, in her own bed and that everything would be okay. It was all just a nightmare.

No such luck. She had woken up _to_ the nightmare. She was... She didn't know _where_ she was. It looked like some kind of dark, abandoned warehouse. She had ropes digging into her wrists and ankles as well as circling her waist. A cream cloth that looked and smelt like it hadn't been washed in at least thirty years was around her mouth. They'd used it to gag her and it really did make her want to gag. She felt something thick and wet oozing down her forehead. She knew exactly what it was. Oh, God. What was gonna happen to her _now_?

"She's awake!" someone called out from somewhere in the darkness.

"Perfect!" another voice responded as a dim light flickered on.

The eleven-year-old's heart just about stopped beating when she saw who was around her. The Lemons. Professor Z, Grem, Acer, Tedison, Fitzwilliam, what felt like thousands more of their henchmen. Wait! Where were Finn, Holley and Mater?! And... Sammy? Were they even _alive_? She hoped so. And what about Lightning? She and Mater never got the chance to warn him about the Lemons' plans! Oh, God!

"Where am I?!" Fudge questioned fearfully. "What do you want from me?"

"Hey!" Acer barked as he pulled out... Holy moly! A _gun_! He aimed it directly at Fudge's head, prompting her breathing to get extremely heavy and her entire body to shake, the Lemons watching without sympathy. " _We_ get to ask the questions around here!"

Professor Z rolled forward, glaring at the human girl with those cold, grey eyes of his. "So", he began, "I am sure you have heard all about our plans to end alternative fuel forever and force cars back to gasoline. Though, you probably think we have forgotten one thing. With gasoline being the only source of fuel and we Lemons becoming the most powerful cars, what is going to happen to all of the humans?"

Oh, boy! What did they have planned for the humans? Fudge absolutely did _not_ want to know. Yet she got the feeling that she didn't have a choice.

Zundapp smirked at her. "Would you like to find out?" he questioned.

Fudge didn't answer. She _couldn't_ answer. The second the words had escaped from Zundapp's lips, he nodded ever so slightly at Grem. Before the human girl got a chance to react, the Gremlin hit her in the stomach hard, causing her to double over in pain.

Tears welled up in the child's eyes as she found herself lying on the floor, gazing up at her kidnappers fearfully. "Let me _go_!" she begged, her voice a series of high-pitched squeaks.

But the Lemons were deaf to her pleas. Immediately, they all launched into the task of hitting her repeatedly in the head to the point where she felt dizzy and sick.

" **PLEASE** ** _STOP_** **!** " Fudge screamed at them, crying her eyes out. " ** _STOP_** **!** ** _PLEASE_** **! I JUST** **WANNA GO HOME! PLEASE LET ME GO! I** ** _SWEAR_** **I WON'T TELL ANYBODY!** "

"You can scream all you wish, human", Professor Z informed her calmly, " _but_ I am afraid that no one can hear you."

"Where's Finn?!" she demanded. "And Mater?!"

Silence. Then laughter.

"What?!" Fudge was dreading what they found so funny.

"Where do you _think_ they are?!" Acer quizzed her. "We _killed_ them!"

The human girl already felt cold. She felt practically frozen solid by this piece of news. Mater... and Finn... _Dead_? No. No, no, no, no, no, no. This couldn't be happening. What would everyone back in Radiator Springs say? Last year, they'd lost Doc; now, Mater had been taken away from them. And that was even worse.

"And guess what!" Grem added excitedly. He leaned in closer before announcing in a cool, calm voice, just above a whisper, "Now, we're gonna do the same to _you_."

Fudge knew all along that that was their intention. These guys were cruel and merciless. They were not afraid to kill anybody. Not even innocent children. Still, having them say it out loud made it all the more real.

* * *

I'll spare you all the details, but I _will_ tell you that it lasted a long time. The beating. The pain. The blood. The gore. The bruises. Fudge wasn't sure if she could stand even if these guys let her. The only reason they stopped at all was because they received a call from the Big Boss.

" _I need you!_ " he informed his minions with that disguised voice that he'd used during the Lemon meeting.

"But we're busy with the human!" Grem argued.

" _You can finish off with that later!_ " he snapped. " _This is more important!_ "

"Yes, sir!" Professor Z responded before glowering at Fudge. " _We'll be back_!"

And with that, they fled from the room and they were gone.

* * *

When she was alone, all Fudge could do was lie there, bawling her eyes out and thinking, _There's_ more _of this!_ Pain was radiating her entire body. She felt wet all over from the blood. She couldn't take any more of this. She wanted to go home. She wanted to see Luigi and Guido and have them cuddle her, which she would return without a moment's hesitation. Why did she have to be mad the last time she saw them?

Escape entered her mind, of course. No way did she want to stay there. There _had_ to be a way out! But where? And how? Could she get away with it? If not, what the hell would these cars do to her for trying to escape? What was she supposed to do when (well, _if_ was probably more accurate) she got out of there? Find Lightning! Okay. How was she supposed to do that? Fudge didn't know where he was. She didn't even know where _she_ was.

The eleven-year-old had absolutely no idea how long she was pondering over these thoughts before a deafening boom made her jump practically out of her skin. Sunlight came pouring in from outside and washed over the human girl, making her blink. Oh, no! They were back! What on Earth did they have planned for her _now_?!

But it wasn't the Lemons at all. (Why would they have blasted a hole into their own hideout anyway? Fudge had just been panicking, which was understandable, given the circumstances.) There was a human woman standing there, sporting a black leather jacket, waitress's uniform and rainbow hair. She held a rocket launcher in her hands.

"Sammy!" Fudge exclaimed.

"And _that's_ why I put in your tracking device!" Sammy shouted with a laugh. She hurried over to the girl, kneeling down and producing a knife to cut her free from the ropes. "Come on!" The agent scooped the child up bridal style. "Let's get outta here! The chopper's waiting!"

Out of nowhere, a high-pitched alarm began blaring out and red lights flashed all around the warehouse. Gremlins, Pacers, Hugos and Trunkovs came flooding in.

"The prisoner's escaping!" J. Curby Gremlin yelled, horrified.

"Well, go and get her then!" Zundapp ordered. "And get the agent too!"

"Oh, s**t!" Sammy muttered as she ran off with Fudge as fast as she could.

Thank Chrysler the helicopter was right outside. It hovered in the air, ready to take Sammy and Fudge as far away from this warehouse as possible. Sammy shot out her grappling hooks and suspended the two of them into the air towards the helicopter.

Unfortunately, the Lemons were still after them, aiming guns.

"Sammy?!" Fudge whimpered, fearing being shot down.

The eleven-year-old was relieved to find that she could climb into the helicopter about three seconds later. She almost slipped during the process, but Sammy was right there to push her up... Only for her to slide back down the wire.

"Where are you going?!"

"If I go with you, they're gonna track down and kill both of us!" the older human explained. "I'll hold 'em off for as long as it takes! Ed'll take you as far away from here as possible."

" _Roger that, Sammy_!" the helicopter, Ed, presumably, responded over the radio as he flew away with Fudge.

"Are you all right?" he quizzed the child, concerned.

Fudge shook her head. "I wanna go home..."

"Well, you can't right now", Ed informed her. "We got work to do. Keeping you safe."

Fudge didn't know how long she was in that helicopter for, lost in her own thoughts. Mater... _dead_? How the hell could that be possible? And how was she supposed to tell the others? She didn't even know _how_ he'd died. She hoped that they'd been merciful, but highly doubted that this was the case. The poor girl didn't want to know what her brother had been through.

* * *

Beep, beep, beep, beep!

"What is that?!" Fudge wondered, the sound making her jump. A second later, she was embarrassed to realise that it was her watch beeping, indicating an incoming message.

" _Fudge?_ " a familiar voice came on the radio. They sounded like they were whispering.

"Sammy?"

" _Fudge, I need you to listen to me!_ " Sammy insisted. " _I've been taken by the Lemons-_ "

"What?! Are you okay?!"

" _I'm fine!_ " Sammy assured her hurriedly. " _Fudge, I really need you to pay very close_ _attention to me, all right? Zundapp and his minions are on their way to get you._ " (Another shiver ran down Fudge's spine, but, as previously stated, she'd gotten used to that.) " _Don't_ _worry. I'm not gonna let that happen. I've got my watch here. I can see where they are and I_ _can see where you are._ "

"Okay", Fudge agreed. "What do I do?"

" _For now, nothing_ ", Sammy responded. " _I'll let you know when and what I want you to do_ _and you do it. No questions asked, okay?_ "

"Okay!" The eleven-year-old hated to think what she might be asked to do.

* * *

And she was right to do so, as it turned out. After about five minutes of panicking, Fudge's watch beeped again.

"Sammy?!" she answered it fearfully.

" _They're gaining!_ " the agent announced, still whispering, but with more desperation in her voice. " _They're heading straight for you! And Zundapp has a helicopter too!_ "

"Great!" Fudge groaned sarcastically.

"I see him!" Ed reported abruptly. "Oh, for Chrysler's sake! He's got a rocket launcher!"

"Rocket launcher?!" Fudge echoed, petrified.

There was a pause over the radio.

Finally, Sammy took a deep breath. " _Fudge_ ", she began, " _listen to me. You're going_ _to have to jump._ "

" _Jump_?!" The child couldn't believe what she was hearing. She was Chrysler knew how many feet in the air! Sammy was really expecting her to plummet to her death?

" _By my calculations, you guys should be over the River Thames in about ninety seconds._ _Your_ _watch should have a breathing apparatus and it works underwater. Just jump in the river_ _and stay underwater. I'll give you more instructions._ "

"River Thames?" Fudge peered out of the window to realise that they were in London. The final destination for the World Grand Prix. Now that she thought about it, it should've been obvious. And hey! That meant that she could reach Lightning easier and warn him about what those... those... those _monsters_ had planned for him.

However, looking down turned out to be a mistake. She couldn't jump from that height. That was crazy! As previously stated, it wasn't heights that she was afraid of, but more falling to her death.

"I can't jump!" she shrieked.

" _I don't think you have a choice!_ " Sammy argued.

"She's right, Fudge!" Ed agreed. "You don't go now, you don't go at all!"

Fudge sighed. She figured that they knew best. After all, they were spies and had been trained to handle these situations. She, on the other hand, had no experience and wouldn't know what to do. She didn't like this. Not one bit. But she didn't have a choice.

"Okay..." Reluctantly, Fudge shifted closer to the edge of the helicopter. It was a long way down. If she survived, there was still the possibility of drowning. "Here goes..."

The human girl closed her eyes and felt the wind rushing against her. Her feet seemed unwilling to move. All she could do was shuffle towards the edge ever so slowly. All of the logic in her brain told her, _Don't do this! This is crazy!_ But when she saw Professor Zundapp in the distance, aiming a rocket launcher directly at her, her brain told her, _Holy moly!_ _What_ _am I waiting for?_ Still, for some reason, she just couldn't jump. Just shuffle.

But that seemed to work out all right. She shuffled to the point where there was no floor left for her to do so on. Right when she was least expecting it, she tumbled from the helicopter and was falling directly towards the river below. She screamed all the way down before she felt herself crash into the water with an almighty splash.

Fudge was relieved that Sammy had been right about the breathing apparatus. It entered her mouth and she found it easier to stay under the water. It was freezing cold and dirty, but she managed to stay under the surface.

" _Fudge?_ " Sammy radioed.

"Yeah?" she tried to respond without opening her mouth.

" _Okay, just swim_ ", the woman instructed. " _I'll let you know when it's safe to get out_."

"Roger that", she replied uncertainly, swimming.

* * *

It must've been at least an hour that she spent underwater before Sammy radioed again with an update (she'd been over the radio to constantly instruct the girl, " _Keep going_ , _keep going!)._

" _All right, I think it's safe!_ " she reported.

Thank Chrysler! She _hated_ it under that water! It was nothing like the water she was used to being submerged in, which had only ever been bathwater, the water down by the waterfall in Radiator Springs and the ocean water at the beaches of California, Florida, Mexico and Italy. Anyway, she resurfaced to find herself right in front of the Tyre Bridge.

" _All right. Get on the bridge!_ " Sammy instructed her.

"All right!" Fudge shot out the grappling hook in her watch and managed to climb onto the bridge. She looked around, trying to see if there were any Lemons around. To her relief, there didn't seem to be any.

" _Great. Now-_ "

" _Hey!_ " a voice called out through the radio. It was so distant that Fudge wouldn't have been able to figure out who it was if she tried. " _What are you doing?!_ "

" _Oh, s**t!_ " Sammy mumbled.

"Sammy?!" Fudge called out fearfully. "What do I do?!"

" _Fudge, run!_ "

"Run where?!"

" _I don't care! Just_ run! _Run, Fudge!_ "

And with that, the line went dead, making Fudge's blood run cold. She was on her own.

The eleven-year-old didn't hesitate to obey. She took off across the bridge and rushed through the streets of London, eager to not only escape the Lemons, but find her family and warn them of what was going on. Sure, it was hard to run with all of her cuts and bruises as well as being freezing cold and her wet clothes clinging to her skin, but she managed to keep going.

Oh, God! She was so lost! All alone in these unfamiliar streets, in this enormous, unfamiliar city. Where was she supposed to go? How was she supposed to find Lightning? She hated this! She wanted to go home! She took a quick scan of her surroundings. No Lemons. So, she slumped down behind a Dumpster right by an alleyway and found herself sobbing helplessly. There was nothing that she wanted more than to run off to the airport and go back home, be with Sally and Flo and Ramone and that lot and to wait for Luigi and Guido to return.

"Luigi... Guido..." she whimpered, feeling like a lost, scared little girl as she wiped her tears away. "I wish you were here... I'm scared..."

She just wanted to be with them and have them cuddle her. She wanted to be in Radiator Springs. Then she could go on with life the way it had always been.

* * *

But she couldn't do any of that because she was on the run from these psychos! Oh, no! Speaking of those psychos, there were two of them coming straight for her! Tedison and Fitzwilliam! Oh, my God! Where should she go?! If she ran straight, they could easily catch her! That was the downside to being a human rather than a vehicle. You couldn't go as fast. Even Lemons, who had a lower top speed than regular cars, were a lot faster than humans, if they could avoid breaking down. So, where was she supposed to go to get away from them?

The fence! There was a fence made out of barbed wire directly in front of her into the alleyway. Her only chance was to climb it. If she could climb that fence, they would have to go all the way around to get her. An advantage to being a human! A _car_ couldn't climb that. Unless they had the gadgets Finn had. But could _she_ do that? There was no other option. Gathering up her courage, she started to scramble up there.

What was she thinking? Even without her injuries, there was no way she could've done this. She wasn't exactly the most in shape person. It was hard for her to keep her footing and a lot of the time, her foot was just dangling in the air. Plus, there was another problem. On the other side, four big, black dogs were barking violently and drooling.

"Bad dogs, bad dogs!" Fudge hissed anxiously. She was afraid of dogs. Especially big, loud dogs. She didn't have much experience with dogs, having lived in Radiator Springs all her life, which was why they scared her.

"She went this way!" a voice shouted out.

Oh, no! Here they were! Tedison and Fitzwilliam! She had to climb even faster, but she didn't think that that was gonna happen. All of a sudden, Tedison grabbed her ankle. She whimpered.

"I don't think so, you little b***h!" he snarled as he tried to yank her down.

"No!" she cried.

Luckily, Tedison only succeeded in pulling off her shoe instead of pulling _her_ down. The human girl used it to her advantage by scrambling as far up the fence as she could before shooting out her grappling hook again and managing to haul herself up onto the roof of a nearby building.

Fudge was a little unsteady walking across the tile, sloping roof. It would've been easier if she wasn't wearing only one shoe. Fudge had an idea. She glanced back down at Tedison and Fitzwilliam, who were racing to the other side of the alley to catch her. With some, but very little, thought, she took off her remaining shoe and hurled it at them.

Unfortunately, she didn't hit either Tedison or Fitzwilliam. To make things even worse, she'd hit a random passer-by, a black Mini Cooper- who gave her a death stare and yelled out that he was calling the police. _Oh, no!_ She was gonna have to make herself scarce fast! She lowered herself down on the other side of the alley.

When she was safe on the ground, she found that she really was safe on the ground. She was safe from the Lemons and safe from the dogs. Okay. Now, she could just worry about running and finding Lightning. So, she did. She just ran.

However, after making her way down three crowded streets, the child's breathing became laboured as she felt her exhaustion and her injuries from her beating get the better of her, now more than ever. The sound of her heart beat pounded in her ears. She didn't feel like she could move anymore. Well, she'd lost the Lemons, so maybe she could stop somewhere and rest. That sounded like a good plan. Only problem was she couldn't wait to find a rest spot and collapsed from exhaustion, landing on her side at an awkward angle.

To make things even worse for the girl, the last thing she remembered was seeing a crowd of cars and humans surrounding her. And none stood out more than Grem and Acer.

 **Mwahahahahaha! Cliffhanger!**

 **And now you know Fudge is afraid of dogs too! _I'm_ not particularly scared of dogs (big ones can make me nervous, though) and while Fudge is mainly based off me, there are _some_ differences, given how she's had a different life to me. This is one of those differences.**

 **So, what's gonna happen next? You'll have to wait and see! Till then** **, *puts on begging face* please, please, please, please, PLEASE review! See you later!**


	25. More Identities Revealed

***Insert witty introduction here* Please enjoy this new chapter and review!**

 **Chapter 25- More Identities Revealed**

 **BONG! BONG! BONG!**

The sound was burning in Mater's brain. He felt dizzy and unwell enough as it was. Further below, Fudge felt exactly the same way. Having just woken up herself, the loud chiming noise was annoying her too, though not as much as Mater since she was farther away.

Again, she didn't know where she was. She was lying flat on her back, her backpack still on her shoulders and getting a bit squished, and there were gears all around her and... it looked like she was tied onto one! She glanced up to find Finn and Holley also tied up bumper to bumper on a larger gear and Mater was suspended high in the air, hanging from some rope. Then directly in front of her, Sammy was on another gear.

For a moment, Fudge couldn't figure out how she got there. But then, in a flash, she remembered what had happened with the Lemons! Her beating, her escape, her little adventure through London, resulting in her second kidnapping. It all felt like a dream. Her clothes were no longer wet, but they were cold and damp, making Fudge wonder just how long she'd been unconscious for the second time around, and there was still some blood splattered on her shirt. She gazed down at her arms as best as she could. Her cuts and bruises had already commenced the redundant task of healing. No point in getting better if things were gonna get even worse for her.

* * *

While he'd been unconscious, Mater had had a nightmare. It consisted of the events that had occurred over the World Grand Prix trip. Him embarrassing Lightning at the pre-race party. Cars laughing at him. Causing Lightning to lose the race. Lightning, Finn and Fudge's words.

" _Mater, this isn't Radiator Springs_."

" _So... you're sayin' this ain't Radiator Springs?_ "

" _That's_ exactly _what I'm saying!_ "

" _No one realises they're being fooled because they're too busy laughing at the fool!_ "

" _This is_ exactly _why I don't bring you along to these things!_ "

" _I_ told _you I didn't wanna do this!_ "

" _I don't_ need _your help! I don't_ want _your help!_ "

They were all going on around in his head and still lingered in his mind when he awoke. Maybe they were all right all along. Maybe he really _was_ a fool.

But Mater had other things to worry about at that exact moment.

"Holley! Finn!" he called to his spy friends, unable to see Fudge or Sammy. "Where are we?!" And Fudge was wondering the same thing.

"We're in London, Mater!" Finn answered. "Inside Big Bentley."

Well, _that_ made sense, what with the chiming and the gears. They were inside the workings of a clock! And not just any clock. One of, if not, _the_ most famous clock towers in the world.

Before anybody knew what was happening, Mater cried out as he felt himself being dropped a fair bit, closer to two gears spinning side by side that would crush him. Then all of the gears rotated slightly, moving Finn, Holley, Fudge and Sammy closer to larger gears that would eventually crush them. All that happened outside was the clock hands moved one spot to change the time from three o'clock to three-oh-one.

Fudge turned her head to stare at the gear she was approaching in horror. Not that she wanted to die at all, but being crushed was _very_ far down the list of ways she wanted to go, knowing that she had to. She felt this indescribable, tingling sensation course through her body at the thought of her bones being completely crushed. Oh, God! The idea was just absolutely terrifying. Fudge just felt sick. She had never been so scared in her entire life! Throughout the mission, there were several times that she held it in, but this time, she just couldn't. She burst into tears.

Mater gasped at the sound. _Fudge!_ he realised in an instant. _She's crying!_ "Fudge!" he shouted. "Fudge, where are you?"

"I'm here!" she called back to him.

He tried to follow the voice with his eyes and sure enough, below him, he could see a patch of denim. "Fudge! Are you okay?!"

"I'm really scared!" Her sobs bounced off the walls of the tower, the other four unable to help feeling sorry for her. Even Mater, who had seen her cry numerous times over her life, had never seen her so upset. Not even when she thought she had to leave Radiator Springs. Or when Doc died. Why didn't he just listen to her and not go on this spy mission?

"Oh, this... this is all my fault!" Mater thought out loud.

"Don't be a fool, Mater!" Finn replied.

"But I am, remember?!" the tow truck insisted. "You said so!"

"No you're not!" Fudge informed him through her sobs.

"When did I-" Finn began. Then he remembered. "Oh. Mater", he tried to justify his actions, "I was complimenting you on what a good spy you are!"

" **I'M NOT A SPY!** " Mater exploded, his words echoing through the tower. Only Finn was shocked by the news itself, but they were all a little stunned by his outburst and for a couple of moments, the only sound was Fudge's sobs. He calmed down considerably as he continued. "I been tryin' ta tell you that the whole time. I really _am_ just a tow truck! And Fudge ain't a spy either! She was tryin' ta tell ya too!"

"But you wouldn't _listen_ to us!" Fudge added. "This was _supposed_ to be a fun trip with my friends! _Why_?! _Why_ did this have to happen?! I never wanted to do this stupid spy thing!"

"Finn, they're not joking", Holley added, recalling her conversation with Sammy in the transporter.

But Finn had figured it out. "I know."

"You were right, Finn", Mater went on. "I'm a _fool_! And what's happened to McQueen... and Fudge bein' here... is 'cause I'm such a big one. This is all my fault."

"Mater", Finn began, sounding entirely sympathetic for the first time during the time Mater and Fudge had known him, "if this was anyone's fault, it's mine. I am so sorry. I should have listened to you both... Fudge, you _really_ are a child?"

She nodded. Then she remembered that Finn couldn't see her, so she tried to control her sobbing and added, "I'm only eleven!"

"I am so sorry I got you into this", the British spy repeated, sounding gentle and compassionate towards the girl. He was horrified by the thought of these cold-hearted Lemons being unafraid and unsympathetic to kill an innocent _child_ in the exact same way as _him_ , a master spy. What would her _parents_ think when they found out?

"And I'm sorry too!" Mater put in. "I knowed how scared you was to do this and I said yes anyway! I'm sorry, Fudge!"

"Mater, it's okay!" Fudge wept. "This wasn't your fault!"

"She's right!" Sammy agreed. "These things happen! Not to anyone _I_ know, but still."

That was when Finn finally caught sight of the older human woman tied up on a gear next to Fudge. He recognised her as being from the oil platform as well as the woman stalking Fudge. He was curious as to why the Lemons had captured one of their own. Maybe she was a traitor or she disobeyed an order. "Who _are_ you?" he questioned.

"Oh! I'm Agent Sammy Rose. My partner and I were the agents you were supposed to meet!" After a pause, she added, "A Volkswagen Karmann Ghia has no radiator."

"But... you were on the oil platform... after Fudge. We... we thought you were a _stalker_!"

Sammy rolled her eyes. "Why does everybody keep saying that?!"

* * *

All of a sudden, they heard the whirring of the elevator right in the corner. It shot up with Grem and Acer on it.

"Good. You're up!" Grem noted as they drove onto a metal platform surrounding the clockwork.

"And just in time!" Acer added.

Grem yanked a nearby cloth away to reveal the "camera" underneath. "Professor Z wanted you to have a front row seat for the death of Lightning McQueen!"

Fudge felt herself go cold all over. They were gonna _kill_ Lightning?! Oh, holy Chrysler! This was bad, this was bad, this was very, very bad! How could things _get_ any worse?! Fudge didn't know and had absolutely no interest in finding out.

Mater's eyes widened. "He's still _alive_?!"

Acer grinned as a panel in the clock opened up and Grem aimed the camera out of it. "Not for much longer!"

Then Mater found himself being dropped again that little bit closer to the gears. Finn, Holley, Fudge and Sammy also felt the gears rotate closer to their doom with Fudge screaming violently when she moved. Again, all that happened outside was that the time changed by one minute.

"Fudge, we'll be all right!" Finn called down to her, having heard her scream just like everyone else had.

"They're gonna kill Lightning!" Fudge sobbed.

There was a pause.

"I know", Finn told her quietly.

"What do we do?"

"What _can_ we do?"

"There's gotta be _something_ we can do!" she whimpered. Even Fudge herself doubted the words as soon as they were out of her mouth, so she added tentatively, "Right?"

Finn sighed remorsefully. He knew that it was probably gonna be the last thing the child wanted to hear, but it was true. There was nothing they could do. Still, he just didn't seem able to let the words come out.

However, Sammy, while sympathetic, was capable of breaking the news to the girl. "I don't think so... I don't think so..."

Fudge cried harder.

"I'm sorry, Fudge", Finn reinforced. "I am so sorry."

Fudge drew in a deep, shaky breath and let it out slowly before proclaiming, "I... I wanna go home!"

* * *

Not too far away, most of the Radiator Springs gang were all gathered in the Team McQueen pits for the final race of the World Grand Prix. Only Mater and Fudge were trapped inside Big Bentley (not that any of them had any knowledge of that), Lizzie was back in Radiator Springs and Sarge and Sheriff were also absent to help with their missing friends. However, everyone else was in the pits.

"We came as soon as you called", Sally informed Lightning, speaking for herself along with the rest of those who had flown straight from the States to London.

"I called to talk to Mater", Lightning commented in disbelief. "It never occurred to me that he wouldn't be there."

Luigi sighed, fearing for his daughter's safety. "Where _are_ they?" he wondered out loud.

"I don't know." It was Lightning's turn to sigh. "I just hope they're all right."

"Sheriff is talking to Scotland Yard right now", Ramone reported, hoping that it would ease the race car's mind a little bit.

"And Sarge is in touch with his friends in the British military", Flo chimed in.

"You just need to focus on the race", Sally instructed her boyfriend.

"I- I know, but, Sally, with everything going on, I'm not sure I sh-"

He was interrupted by a car beeping as a familiar car approached the pits.

"Sir Axlerod!"

"I'm sorry to interrupt", he began.

"No, no, it... it's all right", Lightning assured him.

"I just wanted to come down here and to personally thank you. Because after Italy, I was finished and then _you_ gave me one last shot."

"Listen, I-" Lightning tried to tell Axlerod that he was dropping out of the race due to his missing friends.

"And I probably shouldn't be saying this at all", Axlerod rushed on, "but... I hope you win today. You show the world that they've been wrong about Allinol."

Lightning cast a doubtful glance at the rest of his team.

"Fudge and Mater would want you to race", Sally pointed out.

Lightning realised that she was right. He pictured the tow truck and human girl in the pits, Fudge dressed in her cheerleading outfit. They were both cheering wildly for him with Fudge jumping around and chanting. The image made his expression harden into one of determination. "All right. For Mater and Fudge."

Little did he know, Mater and Fudge most definitely did _not_ want him to race. Well, not on Allinol, anyway. But since he had no idea that his friends were just as worried about him as he was about them, he lined up with the other racers. Outside Buckingham Palace, from her spot next to Axlerod, the Queen of England lowered her antennae to start the race. The lights went green and all of the World Grand Prix competitors, having all recovered from the Porto Corsa crash, were off! The third and final race of the World Grand Prix had begun.

* * *

None of the Big Bentley prisoners could see the race, but Mater and Fudge couldn't help feeling sick when they heard Grem announce, "Here he comes!"

" **NO, NO, NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!** " Fudge shrieked, horrified as the camera whirred to life. She could see that Grem had set it to one hundred per cent power!

But there was nothing she could do. Lightning McQueen, her _brother_ , was going to die!

 **If you haven'** **t seen _Cars 2_ (which I'm presuming you all have), then this would be a pretty big cliffhanger. Don't worry. I'm not going to change the next part for two reasons. One, I like to keep the events within the movies as accurate as possible (though I do add extra characters and scenes in). And two, as you may have seen on my profile, I do _not_ kill off canon protagonists! Therefore, I will never kill off Lightning!**

 **I'll see you guys in the next chapter! Bye!**


	26. Backup Plan

**I don't even know what to say for a cool and witty introduction anymore. Although, I do have a quick response to a guest review:**

 **S.v: Yes.** ** _Ride_** **will take place about a year and a half after** ** _Cars 2_** **.**

 **Okay. Now, I'll leave y'all to enjoy.**

 **Chapter 26- Backup Plan**

Fudge had her eyes squeezed shut as tight as she could. Even though she was too far away to be able to see anything, she _really_ wanted to make sure she couldn't see anything. The whirring sound of the camera was making her cringe and her heart beat so fast that she thought that it was going to fly right out of her chest. Oh, God. Any second now could be that moment for the explosion to go off. And Lightning would be dead.

But there was no explosion.

At first, Fudge thought that it hadn't happened yet. Until she heard Professor Zundapp's voice over Grem's radio. "What happened?!" he demanded.

"I... I don't know, Professor!" Grem stammered.

" **IT SHOULD'VE WORKED!** " the German weapons designer exploded (like the camera should've done).

Fudge opened her tear-filled eyes slowly and nervously. Lightning was still alive? Was he really unharmed? In that moment, she felt a mixture of fear that he really was dead, relief and smugness that their plan had failed. She tried to slow her breathing down.

"What did you do?!" Acer demanded.

"I didn't do nothin'!" Grem insisted. "Ssh! I'm talking to the professor. What's that, Professor Z?"

"You broke it!" Acer accused.

"Is he okay?!" Fudge found herself asking out loud.

" **QUIET, THE BOTH OF YOU!** " Grem barked before returning to the conversation with Zundapp. "I understand, sir. Yes."

"What did he say?" his buddy wanted to know.

"We go to the backup plan."

 _That_ didn't sound good.

"Backup plan?" Mater dared to venture.

"We snuck a bomb in McQueen's pit!"

Fudge's heart stopped as her wails grew louder. A _bomb_ in the _pits_! She remembered how scary the bomb in that Parisian coffee shop had been. But one in the _pits_?! It seemed a million times worse. That meant that it wasn't just Lightning in danger! Luigi, Guido, Sarge and Fillmore would be in the pits too! No... This wasn't happening! This wasn't happening! _This wasn't happening!_ She didn't wanna become an orphan for the second time in her life! She tried to remember what Guido and Luigi agreed would happen to her if something like this ever happened to them, but it wasn't easy to think about anything at that point.

"The next time he makes a stop", Acer added gleefully, "instead of saying, 'Ka-chow', he's gonna go Ka-boom!"

"No!" Fudge gasped softly.

The two laughed hysterically.

"Don't feel bad, tow truck", Grem teased Mater. "You and that pet human of yours couldn't have saved him."

"Oh, wait!" Acer chimed in. "You could have!"

"Dad-gum Lemons!" Mater grumbled to himself angrily as the Gremlin and Pacer continued laughing, thinking that they were a pair of comedians.

" _Request acknowledged_."

The guns spun, but failed to come out completely.

"What? You didn't think we'd take your bullets?" Grem ridiculed.

Mater glanced at his ropes. He had an idea. But, with Grem and Acer watching him, he had to pretend to be embarrassed that his guns failed.

"That's right! You got _nothing_!" Acer informed the tow truck.

"Who's the Lemon _now_ , huh?!"

The pair rolled back onto the lift and went down it. They were laughing so hard that, for a moment, Fudge thought that they were gonna make themselves sick. Then she remembered who they were. They _were_ sick.

"Nice try, Mater!" Finn called.

But Mater wasn't done yet.

"Dad-gum, dad-gum, dad-gum, dad-gum!" Mater shouted his catchphrase over and over again, his guns continuing to spin out, shaving the ropes. Until... he was finally free!

Only to be sent plummeting towards several spinning gears.

"Mater!" Holley cried.

" **MATER!** " Fudge echoed, sounding much more hysterical than Holley.

Luckily, Mater was able to make his way across the gears, driving perpendicular to them and managed to make it onto the platform safely.

"Are you okay?!" Fudge quizzed him anxiously.

"I'm fine, but I gotta get y'all out of there!" the tow truck called to his four friends.

"There's no time!" Finn objected. "McQueen needs your help, Mater!"

"But I can't!" Mater protested. "I'm just a tow truck!"

"It's up to you!" Finn responded. "Go to the pits and get everyone out! You can do that!"

"He's right!" Sammy agreed. "You can't screw this up! Any idiot can warn a group of cars about a bomb! Just _go_ , Mater!"

Mater felt a pang of hurt at her words, but chose to ignore it. "I ain't leavin' without Fudge!"

"Mater, _please_ do it!" Fudge begged through her tears. "I don't want them to... to _die_!" She couldn't believe that she just let that awful word slip from her lips.

"What about you guys?"

"We'll be okay!" Finn assured him.

"Mater, _please_ go!" Fudge added. "Do it for me!"

"Go and get some more dents, Mater!" Holley put in.

"You got this, Mater!" Sammy cheered.

Mater didn't want to leave them, especially not while Fudge was crying and scared out of her mind, but he knew he had no choice. He was determined to save his friends. So, he hurried towards the elevator and left.

"So, we'll be okay? Really?" Holley questioned.

"He wouldn't have left if I'd told him the truth", Finn replied as the gears rotated once more, only one minute away from killing them all. "Being killed by a clock." He chuckled. "Gives a whole new meaning to 'your time has come.'"

"Great!" Sammy groaned sarcastically, rolling her eyes. " _That_ makes me feel _so much_ better about dying!"

" **I DON'T WANNA DIE!** " Fudge wailed.

"Fudge, it's all right", Finn assured her, though he didn't think that it was.

But Finn's words had given Holley an idea.

"Time?" she repeated. "That's it!"

She spied some kind of electric box, which powered the clock. She shot out her taser to hit it, but she kept just missing.

"What are you doing?!" Finn demanded, unable to see what Holley was doing.

"Trying to turn back time!" she explained as they rotated once more. All four of them felt pains take over them as they were pressed up against the gears.

"Holley, whatever you're doing, hurry up!" Fudge cried. She may have sounded angry, but she wasn't. She was just panicking.

"Yeah, before we're all, you know, crushed to death", Sammy chimed in impatiently. She even sounded kind of bored.

"If... I can just... reverse... the polarity..."

She got it. A direct hit on the power box and they did exactly what Holley expected them to do. The clockwork started turning the other way!

"Good job!" Finn complimented. "Quick thinking, Holley!"

"You're a _genius_!" Sammy added.

But they almost immediately ran into another problem. There was a gear on the other side of Finn and Holley that would slice their bumpers right off!

"Oh, no!" Holley exclaimed.

"Drive!" Finn ordered. "Burn rubber!"

The two cars started their engines and pulled away from each other, allowing the gear to slice the rope instead of them! They jumped onto opposite sides of the metal platform and they were free!

As for Sammy, reversing the polarity meant that Holley had bought her time to try and free herself from the rope. She had somehow managed to untangle herself in record time and then tossed the large rope over a rod that was above her, wrapping it around several times. Then she stood up on the gear, which had stopped spinning by then, and kicked off it, swinging onto the platform. She, too, was free.

"What about _me_?!" Fudge cried. "How do _I_ get out of here?!"

"Fudge, I put a knife in your watch", Holley informed her. "See if you can get it out and cut the ropes!"

"But..." Fudge hesitated. "What if I cut myself?" She had a fear of any sharp object, be it knives or needles, for that exact reason. Doc always had the hardest time giving Fudge her shots when she was little.

"I have Band-Aids here just in case", Sammy patted the pocket of her leather jacket. "Now, get moving! The sooner you're out of there, the sooner we can help Mater!"

Fudge struggled to press button after button on her watch before a knife flipped out.

"Ow!" she cried out immediately as the knife cut her in simply opening. She could feel the wound stinging and the blood oozing across her hands, but she had to ignore it and slice at the ropes. It seemed to take forever to get anywhere cutting the rope and she ended up cutting her own fingers several times by mistake. In fact, by the time she was done, Fudge was sure that the three agents had lost their patience.

"Okay, Fudge, the rope I used is still there!" Sammy called to the eleven-year-old, who was stood on top of the gear and trying to stop her crying. "You just gotta give it one big swing!"

Fudge stared uncertainly and nervously at the distance between her and the platform. Being as uncoordinated as she was, there was no way she was gonna make it across.

"I don't know about this!" she responded.

"Come on, Fudge!" Finn encouraged her. "You'll be fine!"

Fudge was about to do it when she stopped again. It was a long way down. "I don't think I can! You guys go on without me!"

"Fudge, you can't stay there forever!" Finn reasoned.

"Besides, we _need_ you!" Holley insisted.

"But…" Fudge was confused. "I'm not a spy."

"You are today! You can do it, Fudge!" Finn assured her.

"Are you sure about that, Finn?" Sammy wondered. "Because, if you ask me, the last thing we need right now is an inexperienced child getting in our way."

"Actually, Fudge's services throughout the mission have been quite helpful", Finn countered. "And considering how McQueen and the others need all the help they can get, I see no reason why Fudge shouldn't help us." He turned back to the eleven-year-old. "Come on, Fudge. You can do this. I know you can."

Fudge was about to insist once more that she couldn't do it when she remembered the bomb. If she didn't hurry up, they wouldn't be able to help her family. It was obvious Finn, Holley and Sammy weren't gonna leave without her. Or, at least, Finn and Holley wouldn't. She had to do this for her family. Gathering up her courage, Fudge gripped the rope so hard that her knuckles turned white and her hand was probably _covered_ in splinters. She took a deep breath and took several steps back. Then she did a run-up and kicked off the gear on which she was stood.

The human girl screamed all the way across as the only thought to race through her mind was, _Don't let go, don't let go, don't let go!_ As she made it across, she accidentally kicked Sammy in the shoulder.

" _Owww_!" she yelped, rubbing said shoulder.

"Sorry!" Fudge apologised hastily.

Only thing was when Fudge was over the top of the platform, she was still afraid to let go and just swung back and forth.

"I got you, I got you." Sammy grabbed her fellow human's legs and she slid from the rope.

The girl smiled at her gratefully. "Thanks."

Fudge's swing hadn't been anywhere near as smooth as Sammy's, but, at any rate, she was across, though she was hyperventilating a bit.

"Hey!" the human girl exclaimed abruptly. "I'm _alive_!"

Finn chuckled. "You're all right", he assured her gently. "You're all right!"

"Yeah, though I would _love_ to see you do _that_ again!" Sammy proclaimed, grinning.

Fudge made a face. "I am _never_ doing _that_ again!"

Now, there was one thing left to do before they could go. Sammy put Band-Aids over Fudge's cuts. She was really fast at putting them on (Fudge guessed it came from practice in life and death situations).

"We've got to get to the course!" Finn announced determinedly once everyone was ready. He turned to Holley. "Calculate the fastest way to-"

Holley revealed some wings from either side as well as a tail. "Done!" she declared.

"Oh!" Finn was both surprised and impressed, as was Fudge. "Miss Shiftwell!"

"That is _cool_!" Fudge declared.

"They're standard issue now", Holley explained.

"You kids get all the good hardware", Finn remarked.

"Speaking of good hardware", Sammy piped up, "Miss Rossi-Topolino? You're gonna need one of these." She held up two regular-looking pens.

"A _pen_?" Fudge asked incredulously.

Sammy just grinned and clicked the pen as she let it slip from her fingers. That's when it transformed... into a _hover board_! A real life hover board!

Fudge lit up. "Awesome!" she exclaimed. She had always thought that riding a hover board would be cool, but she never thought that they were really real. Until today, that is.

Sammy did the same thing to the other pen and then they were ready to go. Only to be stopped by the sight of an air filter lying abandoned on the platform.

"Oh, no! That's Mater's!" Holley realised, reading the name on it.

"What's _that_ doing here?" Fudge wondered.

Fudge didn't know what that meant at first, but the other three did. They'd removed it to plant the bomb inside!

"Oh, sh... Dang!" Sammy groaned, having to prevent herself from cursing in front of a child yet again.

"I knew his escape was too easy", Finn commented.

 **How was that? Good? Please review.**

 **I was pretty excited to write the part about the hover boards, so I hope you liked that!**

 **One more thing: I've started writing my original story, _Ride_ , but I'm struggling for ideas. If you have any requests/suggestions for what I could write, please let me know (only thing I ask is that you look at the ideas I already have on my profile under "Latest News: Coming Soon", so you know what the story's gonna be about).**

 **Okay. I think that's it. Please review.**


	27. You're the Bomb!

**Chapter 27- You're the Bomb!**

Holley flew out the panel of the clock, which Grem had aimed the camera out of, with both humans following on their hover boards. Finn raced out the doors of the tower and tore through the streets of London below them.

At any other time, Fudge would've enjoyed the hover board. Riding it was one of the most thrilling things she'd ever done and the view she got of the city was incredible. Okay. So, there was a part of her that was loving every second of it. However, she couldn't enjoy it entirely. She had to help Mater save her family.

Meanwhile, Mater had just reached the pits. He didn't hesitate in crashing through the gates to get to his friends, ignoring the security guards yelling at him to stop. The tow truck only had one thing on his mind.

"Mater!" Luigi exclaimed, being the first to spot their friend. "Where is Fudge?!"

He didn't get an answer.

"Everybody, get out! Get out now! Y'all gotta get out of the pits!" Mater yelled, screeching to a halt. Then the tow truck noticed more of his friends than he'd expected to find in the pits. "Hey, what're you guys doin' here?"

"We're here because of you and Fudge, Mater!" Sally explained.

"Where is Fudge?!" Luigi repeated.

"Is everything okay?" Flo questioned.

"No, everything's not okay!" Mater insisted hysterically. "There's a _bomb_ in here! Y'all gotta get out! _Now_!"

"A _bomb_?!" everyone echoed in shock.

"Mater!" Finn radioed.

The tow truck was relieved. "Finn! You're okay! And is Fudge okay too?! And Holley? And the stalker lady? I didn't get her name yet-"

"We're all fine! Listen to me!" Finn instructed hurriedly. "The bomb is on _you_! They knew you'd try and help McQueen! When we were knocked out, they planted it in your air filter!"

Mater blew off his air filter to reveal several blocks of C4. A screen on top of it read, REMOTE ON. Then he looked to the Allinol tank right beside him.

"Uh-oh!"

"We're on our way!" Sammy informed him through the radio.

"What are we gonna do?!" Mater heard Fudge's hysterical voice. He was relieved to hear that she wasn't crying anymore, but she still sounded more scared than Mater ever remembered her being.

"Fudgie!" Luigi shouted helplessly at the sound of his daughter's voice and the fear it held. He wanted nothing more than to be there with her and give her a big cuddle. But there was nothing he could do. He didn't even know where she was.

"Mater!" a voice cried out. "There you are!"

It was Lightning McQueen! He came rushing into the pits, so happy to see his best friend.

Only the feeling wasn't _exactly_ mutual. "Stop right there!"

"Oh, man! I've been so worried about you!"

Okay. _That_ feeling was mutual. "Don't come any closer!"

"Are you okay?!"

"No, I'm not okay! Stay away from me!" Mater reversed and drove backwards onto the track in order to get away from Lightning.

"No! Wait! Wait!" Lightning cried. "Mater, wait!"

Without waiting another second, Lightning took off after his best friend.

In the distance, Finn, Holley, Fudge and Sammy had noticed Mater had raced onto the track with Lightning chasing him and trying to apologise for what happened in Tokyo, not at all aware of the bomb.

"What's he _doing_?" Sammy wondered.

"He's trying to keep Lightning away from him!" Fudge cried. "Because of the _bomb_!" But Fudge gasped, noticing that things had taken a turn for the worst. "Oh, my God!"

Lightning had grabbed hold of Mater's tow hook. Fudge had no idea when the bomb was gonna go off. All she knew was that if it did, then it would kill both of them. And it could very easily look like Allinol was to blame. The Lemons would win.

All of a sudden, Mater activated the rockets Holley had given him and blasted off with Lightning still attached to him. Nobody knew it at the time, but the good thing about that was that when Zundapp tried to detonate the bomb, it was out of range. The bad thing was that Mater crashed right through the temporary wall that outlined the racetrack. Mater and Lightning were rocketing through the streets of London. And this was all in the middle of the race, so Fudge couldn't help but wonder what the thousands, maybe millions, of spectators and viewers around the world were thinking, watching all of this occur.

"Fudge! Sammy! Follow me!" Holley instructed, flying over to the private glass booths, which overlooked the racecourse.

Both humans obeyed, navigating their hover boards to follow Holley.

"What are we doing?!" Fudge wanted to know. "Shouldn't we go find Mater?!"

"Zundapp's here!" Holley explained. "There's a chance we might be able to get him!"

"Right!" Sammy agreed, pulling out two guns, holding one in each hand and twirling them. "Let's take that son of a bitch down!"

Luckily, they were able to take him by surprise. He was too distracted by the button, which was supposed to set the bomb off, pressing it repeatedly in rage. Only to glance up in confusion when he heard a strange sound. Holley aimed both of her tasers at the German weapon designer while Sammy gave her guns another twirl before also pointing them at Professor Zundapp. Fudge also had her gun out, aimed directly at him. She had no idea whether or not it had any bullets in it. Probably not, considering how they took all of Mater's, but what the hell?

Well, the good news was that they scared the crap out of the guy! The bad news was that they scared him so much that he screamed and drove straight to the window on the other side. The glass smashed and Professor Z leapt right out. Unfortunately, a large World Grand Prix inflatable structure cushioned his fall and he was on his way. He was on the run.

Despite the situation, Fudge burst out laughing as they made their way back to Finn. "Did you see the look on his face?!"

"Fudge, focus!" Holley instructed.

"Right", the girl mumbled.

That was when Finn's voice sounded over their radios. "Sammy! Follow me! Holley! We'll get Zundapp! You and Fudge help Mater!"

"Got it! Come on, Fudge!" Holley responded.

"Roger that!" Sammy and Fudge shouted in unison.

Holley flew over the trees with Fudge following while Sammy dropped lower down to go after Finn. Fudge took off across the racetrack. It was fun to zoom right past Francesco, who did _not_ take it well.

" **WHAT IS HAPPENING?!** " he shrieked.

"Where did Mater go?" Fudge wondered once they'd gotten past the track.

"He could be anywhere by now with _those_ rockets", Holley admitted.

Fudge found herself checking the watch on her wrist to see if there was some way to locate Mater with it. Unfortunately, if there was, she couldn't find it. However, she _did_ found something else interesting. The recording device! It was still on. It must have recorded all of the stuff that had happened when she and the others were knocked out. Maybe she could listen to it later. For now, she had to focus on-

 **KA-BOOM!**

There was a loud explosion in the distance. Fudge could even see it go up. From where she was, Fudge found it hard to tell whether it was smoke or water. Had the bomb gone off already? Was Mater… And what about Lightning?

"Fudge!" Holley called, distracting the eleven-year-old from her thoughts.

Fudge looked down to find Mater and Lightning below her.

"Mater, _stop_!" Holley cried.

"No way! You could git hurt!"

Thank Chrysler! They were okay! At least, for now. Beep, beep! Fudge's watch began letting off a high-pitched beep as a red light flashed. It was an alert relating to the tracking devices. LMQ95 and FHH51 were approaching fast. LMQ95 and…

"Holley!" Fudge exclaimed.

Holley had seen. "Oh, _no_!"

"What do we do?"

"I have an idea!" the magenta sports car replied. "I need you to get in front of me, all right?"

"All right!" Fudge agreed, increasing the speed on her hover board to allow herself to be in front and Holley behind.

"Is your gun loaded?"

Fudge checked. Finn had taught her how to do that. "I have a couple of bullets."

"I don't really know what's going to happen. So, I'm going to need you to be prepared to use it. Can you do that?"

"Okay…" The human girl sure hoped that it wouldn't come to that, but she knew it might. "What's the plan?"

"Wait!" Holley instructed. "Don't move until I tell you to. Then go as fast as you can... Ready? _Now_!"

Fudge gunned forward, taking the speed of the hover board as fast as it would possibly go. She grinned all the way as she zipped past Grem and Acer, prompting them to slow down and distracting them just long enough to let Holley knock them with her wings. The two Lemon cars yelled out in surprise as they were sent flying into the air and crashing into a nearby bar called Ye Left Turn Inn. They couldn't stop themselves and tore through the bar, causing many patrons to spill their drinks. And they weren't happy at all. From inside Ye Left Turn Inn came a series of thumps and groans of pain. Even a tyre or two rolled out from the bar!

"Yes!" Fudge cheered, punching the air and performing a loop-the-loop on her hover board before landing in the middle of a four-way intersection next to Holley and in front of Mater and Lightning as they, too, skidded to a halt in the intersection.

"Fudge!" Lightning exclaimed happily as said human girl jumped off the hover board. _The_ _gang's all here!_ he thought to himself.

Fudge was so glad to see him too and wanted to give him a hug. But there were bigger, more important issues to focus on.

"Mater, we've _got_ to get that bomb off you!" Holley declared, beginning an analysis of it on her computer.

" _Bomb_?!" Lightning echoed.

"Yeah, they strapped it to me to kill you as a backup plan", Mater explained.

"Backup plan?" Lightning repeated. "Mater, who put a _bomb_ on you?!"

That was when Finn and Sammy showed up and not alone. They had one angry Professor Zundapp without a monocle and tied up in cables.

"Maybe ask this guy", Fudge responded to Lightning's question.

"You!" he shouted when he noticed Lightning. He tried to lunge, but Finn held him back firmly. "Why didn't my death ray kill you?!"

" _DEATH RAY_?!" the American race car exclaimed.

Fudge felt sorry for him. Bombs, backup plans, death rays. It was a lot of information to get in under thirty seconds. She was caught up to speed on everything that was happening and she _still_ didn't believe it.

"Turn off the bomb, Zundapp!" Finn ordered.

"Are you all so dense?" the little, box-shaped car retorted. "It's voice-activated. Everything is voice-activated these days."

"Deactivate, deactivate!" Mater cried.

" _Voice denied_ ", a male computer voice announced.

And, to everyone's horror, that started the bomb's countdown.

"Whoops!" Zundapp chuckled. It was clear that he was loving every second of this. "Did I forget to mention that it can only be disarmed by the one who activated it?"

Holley threatened him with her tasers. "Say it!" she commanded.

"Deactivate", Professor Z instructed calmly.

" _Voice denied_."

As if things weren't bad enough, the timer _lost_ a minute because of that! Mater gasped. Fudge whimpered, trying not to cry again. Lightning looked nervous, but gave Fudge a reassuring nuzzle.

"Damn!" Sammy groaned. "Should've known it wouldn't be _that_ easy!" She glared at Zundapp. "Now, we've lost a whole minute to your s**t!"

"What?" Zundapp gave them a cocky grin. "I am not the one who activated it. Would anyone else like to try?"

Holley electrocuted him, knocking the German car out and causing him to tip over.

"Well, that was long overdue", Sammy commented.

"You read my mind", Finn agreed.

Holley rolled her eyes. "He was getting on my nerves."

Fudge nodded anxiously. "Mine too, but... we still have a bomb to worry about here!"

"What do we do?" Lightning questioned.

"It's very simple!" a new voice piped up. It was Victor Hugo! "You blow up."

Our six heroes found themselves surrounded by Gremlins, Pacers, Hugos and Trunkovs, each family coming from a different point in the intersection to box them in. Fudge took steps backwards in fear till she was leaning up against Lightning's hood.

"I'm gonna go out on a limb here. These are the guys that want me dead, correct?" Lightning guessed, looking around at them all.

"It's nothing personal", Vladimir Trunkov assured him.

"Fellas, listen!" Mater pleaded. "I know what you're goin' through! Everybody's been laughing at me my whole life too."

"And me too!" Fudge chimed in, remembering her many failed attempts to fit in with any children of the travellers that came through Radiator Springs. She was just so different.

Mater nodded. "But becoming powerful and rich beyond your wildest dreams ain't gonna make you feel better."

There was a pause. All of the Lemons seemed to reflect on Mater's words. Fudge was cautiously hopeful. It looked like it had worked!

The purple Gremlin, J. Curby Gremlin, grinned sinisterly. "Yeah, but it's worth a shot!" He revealed a gun.

Or not.

Before anything could happen, a powerful jet of water blasted out from behind the Gremlins and sending them flying. It was Red! And Sally was right behind him! _What are_ they _doing here?_ Fudge wondered. _Didn't they stay behind in Radiator Springs?_ Who cared? They were here to help them, right?

Pretty soon- everyone, spies and Radiator Springs residents alike- were battling these Lemons. Finn used his grappling hooks to make a group of the villains crash into each other. Holley brought out her wings and rammed into a group of Lemons. Every time one came near Sammy, she was able to fire her gun and get them in the fender or the tyre. She also kicked a few in their front bumpers. She looked like a character right out of a movie, spinning around, shooting and kicking. Guido was able to zip off their tyres at lightning speed. Flo blinded one with her beams and, by the time he'd recovered, Sheriff had placed a parking boot on him. When Ivan and a bunch of Lemons lunged for Lightning, Mater fought back with his karate moves.

"Go, Mater!" Fudge cheered. "Use the 'What I Accidentally Did to my Friend, Luigi, Once!'"

Luigi rolled his eyes. "Did he really call it _that_?"

Fudge hadn't been able to get to Luigi and Guido yet. And she couldn't just yet. She had her own problems. A group of Pacers had cornered her up against a wall. She glanced around at the others. They were all too busy fighting off the Lemons. She didn't know what she was supposed to do. Then she remembered what she promised Holley and reached into her jacket. She whipped out her gun, only vaguely aware of Lightning exclaiming in pure astonishment, "Fudge has a _gun_!" Was she really gonna do this? Was she really gonna fire it? _Warning shots only_ , she reminded herself, pulling the trigger back.

Unfortunately, the Pacers sensed Fudge's fear and got ready to fire their own guns at her. The child remained rooted to her spot in terror. This was it! This was how it ends!

"Fudge!" Sammy came charging at her, shoving the girl out of the way right as one of the guns was fired. Instead of hitting either human, it hit the wall and bounced off to get Tubbs, the Pacer who fired it, right in the windshield!

"Are you all right?" Sammy asked Fudge.

"Yeah..." she panted. "Whoa... You... saved my life. Thanks."

The woman shrugged modestly. "Don't mention it. It's all part of the job. We both knew you weren't gonna fire that thing."

"What do you mean?"

She shrugged. "You're not a real agent. You don't have the skills to fire it."

"Okay…" Although Fudge had to admit that Sammy was right, she couldn't help but feel a little hurt by her words.

But there was no time to focus on that. The Pacers were still surrounding them. Since Fudge was lying on the ground, she figured that it would be easier to take out their tyres. _Here we go!_ she thought, aiming the gun just right at Tubbs's front left tyre. As long as he didn't move, she should get him.

 **BANG!**

Direct hit! The tyre popped and the Pacer spun around, still firing the gun as Ramone sprayed some purple paint over his windshield. However, Fudge and Sammy didn't have time to prepare for it this time. The bullet flew past, grazing Fudge's left cheek before lodging into a hole in the wall. Fudge felt a sharp pain as blood trickled out of her cheek.

But Sammy didn't realise that at first.

"Nice shot!" she remarked appreciatively, grabbing Fudge's hand to pull her up to her feet and giving her a high-five.

Fudge gave a small smile. "Thanks."

Then the agent's eyes widened as she pulled Fudge up onto her feet. "Oh, my gosh! Are you okay?!"

"I'm... I'm fine."

"What happened?"

"Bullet."

"Inexperienced klutz", Sammy mumbled under her breath before asking out loud, "Where's the bullet?"

Fudge pointed to the wall. "There."

"Retreat!" Tubbs yelled before Sammy could do anything else. The two humans glanced up and could see that the Lemons were surrounded.

He and a bunch of his buddies took off (well, Tubbs was actually hobbling due to his flat tyre) round a corner. Only to run right into Sarge. Who had the British military with him.

"Thanks for the help, Corporal."

"Anything for one of Pop's mates", the car next to him replied.

 **Fun Fact #1: In the _Cars 2_ Book of the Film I have, Grem and Acer don't crash into a bar and get beaten up. They land in a garbage truck**

 **Fun Fact #2: In this chapter, Fudge reveals that people laugh at her and she has difficulty fitting in. That is based off my personal experiences and... This is kind of a confession. I'm sure most of you will know that Fudge is supposed to based off me and, so, she's autistic like me. (Got a problem with that? I don't!) That's why she doesn't really feel like she fits in with other kids because, growing up, I've often felt like I don't.**

 **Also, with the bomb timer, I'm not going to include the specific times because Fudge and Sammy's dialogue would take extra time.**

 **"So, that's about it for this chapter. I will see you all in the next one. :)**


	28. Fudge and Mater Save the Day For Real

**I wanna thank all of you so much for the positive messages I've received from the last chapter. It really does mean a lot to me. So, we're at the end of the bomb scene. How is this gonna go? Well, if you've seen _Cars 2_ , you'd know, but what's Fudge gonna do? You're about to find out...**

 **Enjoy!**

 **Chapter 28- Fudge and Mater Save the Day For Real**

" **LUIGI! GUIDO!** "

The two Italian vehicles turned at the sound of their names and gasped when they realised who had called them. " _Fudgie_!"

The eleven-year-old ran over to them as fast as she could and collapsed into Guido's arms. Both of her fathers started crying.

"Are you okay?" Luigi wanted to know, pushing her hair back.

She nodded. "Yeah..." It felt so good to be back with them. This was the longest she'd ever been apart from them and she'd missed them so much.

After a minute of the three of them hugging, Lightning and Mater came over.

"Guido! We need your help!" Lightning informed the forklift breathlessly. "Get all the wrenches you've got! One of them's gotta fit the bolts to the bomb!"

"Okay!" Guido agreed, letting go of his daughter and rushing off.

"Fudge! Yer hurt!" Mater noted worriedly at the sight of the blood oozing across the girl's face.

"Fudgie!" Luigi cried, holding her head still, so he could get a better look.

"I'm fine, I'm fine!" she assured them hurriedly.

"What happened, baby?"

For a moment, Fudge was tempted to lie, but she looked at Luigi and thought the better of it for two reasons. First of all, he looked really concerned and second of all, he knew her. There was no way she could lie to him. "It was a bullet", she admitted quietly.

"My _baby_!" Luigi exclaimed, horrified, practically squeezing the life out of his daughter.

"Luigi, I'm _fine_!" Fudge insisted.

"My poor, poor baby!" he repeated. "You are just a child. You should not be here."

"I know, but..."

Fudge didn't know what else to say and it didn't matter, anyway. Guido had returned with a load of wrenches. By that point, Scotland Yard had blocked the whole street off, leaving Lightning, Mater, Fudge, Guido and Luigi alone in the area. Fudge refused to move. They'd called out for her to get out of there and they were in no mood for arguing, but she ignored them all. She had to be with Mater. So, she sat there, cross-legged, a fair distance away, pressing the collar of her denim jacket to her bleeding cheek.

Fudge didn't want to miss out on seeing if Guido's wrenches worked, but she had something else to do as well. She had to listen to the recordings to see if she could get any new details or clues. The only problem was the amount of recording there was! She'd had it on for hours, even _days_! It was going to take forever to get through it all and if she didn't, she might miss something. Wait! Fudge pressed a button, which sped the audio up. She could still hear the voices, but not the words. It was mostly Professor Z and his minions talking. When was she gonna find a different voice?

Wait a sec! _Go back!_ she commanded herself, rewinding the audio. She could've sworn that there was a new voice. It was familiar, but not in relation to this case. They were talking to Professor Z.

" _I don't care what measures we have to take! Allinol must be finished! We can't afford any_ _mistakes here, Zundapp! Lightning McQueen_ must _die_!"

" _I understand that, sir_ ", Zundapp replied.

" _And that's exactly why I have devised a backup plan_!" the voice announced. " _We attach_ _this_ _bomb to that tow truck. He's sure to try and save Lightning McQueen. We just wait for_ _the_ _right moment and we detonate it. That way, Allinol will still be blamed and we still win_."

" _Excellent idea, sir!_ "

" _Nothing can stop us now_!"

And just like that, Fudge knew. She knew who the Big Boss was.

The eleven-year-old girl jumped at the sound of Guido shouting out some angry Italian before tossing the wrench he was holding to the ground. She hurried over to them.

"What's he saying?! What's wrong?!" Lightning quizzed Luigi frantically.

"None of his wrenches fit the bolts!" Luigi reported worriedly.

"Mater!" Fudge cried, holding out her watch. "Listen to this!"

But Mater wasn't listening. He was obviously thinking hard. All of a sudden, his eyes widened. "I get it... I get it!" he exclaimed. "I know what needs to be done!"

"Fudge!" Finn shouted. "Get out of there!"

"But I-"

"This is non-negotiable, Fudge!" the Faultless GT insisted. "Get out of there _now_!"

Guido had heard Finn and wrapped his forks around his daughter, pulling her gently back to the others.

" **NO!** " the girl yelled, pushing her father.

"Sssh... sssh..." Guido whispered soothingly as he tried to move her. "(It is going to be okay, Fudge.)"

"Fudge!" Sammy yelled. "Are you _trying_ to get yourself killed?! Just _go_ with the Italian forklift!"

"Mater!" Fudge called out, struggling in Guido's arms. "I know who's doing this!"

"Me too!" Mater hollered back.

"Mater, if you know what to do, then do it!" Lightning told him.

"What? No. I can't do it. Look, nobody takes me seriously. I know that now. This ain't Radiator Springs."

"Yes it is", Lightning insisted. "Look, you're yourself in Radiator Springs. Be yourself _here_. And if... if people aren't taking you seriously, then _they_ need to change, not _you_. I know that because I was wrong before. Now, you can do this."

"And I'm with you all the way, Mater!" Fudge added from her spot behind the barricades.

"We _all_ are", Lightning agreed. "You're the bomb."

Mater smiled broadly. "Thanks, buddy."

"No, no, no! You're the _actual_ bomb!" Lightning corrected. "Now, let's go!"

"Oh, right! Hang on!" He hooked Lightning back up and drove straight through the barricades. "Fudge, c'mon!" he called, not even looking at the child as he drove away.

"Right behind you!" Fudge responded, clicking the pen and dropping it as Sammy had done. Then she jumped onto the hover board (to the Radiator Springs residents' disbelief) and flew after Mater.

"Where are they going?!" Finn demanded.

"I sure hope they aren't doing anything stupid!" Sammy mumbled as she, Finn and Holley took off after the trio.

"Computer!" Mater called.

" _Yes, Agent Mater?_ "

"I need that thing you done before to get me away from McQueen!"

" _Request acknowledged_."

His rocket jets were activated and the three blasted through the city streets, trying to avoid the cars using said streets.

"Uh... Mater?!" Lightning sounded afraid.

"Fudge, kin ya keep up?!" Mater questioned.

"Yep!" she answered, zooming alongside them on her super-fast hover board.

"Now, I need you to do the chute!" Mater requested as the trio approached a building directly in front of them. "The second kind, not the first!"

" _Deploying chute!_ "

The parachute opened up just in time, sending Mater and Lightning shooting straight up before they could crash into the building. Fudge tilted her hover board up, so she was also able to miss the building. The three of them were airborne over London!

"Where are we going, Mater?!" Fudge wanted to know as they weaved past St. Paul's Cathedral.

"This way!" Mater called back and Fudge could see Buckingham Palace in the distance. That was their destination.

Of course, it didn't take long at all to get there. When they arrived, Sir Miles Axlerod was on a podium with beside the Queen of England, her grandson (Prince Wheeliam) and a bunch of other important-looking cars. And they were all taken by surprise when Mater, Lightning and Fudge landed in front of them.

"Back up!" the guards, all black Range Rovers, ordered the trio. "Back away!"

"It's Lightning McQueen!" the Queen noted brightly.

"Get back!" the guards repeated.

"No, no, no! It's okay!" Lightning assured them, reversing. "Okay. T- tell 'em, guys. Explain."

Fudge's heart was pounding. She was really nervous. So, she nodded at Mater. "You go first", she instructed him.

"Okay. Somebody's been sabotagin' the races and hurtin' the cars and we know who!" Then Mater remembered something else. Something very important. "Oh, wait!" He bowed. "Your Majesty."

All that achieved was a mass hysteria.

"Bomb!" the guards screamed, pulling out their guns. "There's a bomb! Everybody, down!"

Most of the spectators fled the area as fast as they could, screaming hysterically. The RS gang gathered by a fountain close by, watching the scene unfold in horror.

"Get off the stage!" the guards ordered, aiming their guns at Mater, Fudge and Lightning. "Move it!"

Fudge hid behind Lightning and started to cry again. She'd never been more scared in her entire life. This better be worth it.

"Hold your fire!" someone else piped up. It was Finn, who raced in between the guards and the trio as Holley and Sammy showed up. "He can't disarm it!"

"I _knew_ you guys were gonna do something stupid!" Sammy declared. "What the hell were you _thinking_?!"

"Mater, I don't know what you're doing, but stand down now!" Finn ordered.

"Fudge, it's gonna be okay!" Lightning assured her gently, turning around and scooping her onto his hood. "You can do this."

"I'm really scared!" she wept.

"I know you are, but you can do this."

"This ain't nothin' at all like Radiator Springs!" Mater commented.

" _Tell_ me about it!" Fudge agreed.

"Guys, just cut to the chase!" Lightning urged them.

"Okay. It's him!" Mater pointed an accusing tyre directly at Sir Miles Axlerod!

" _What_?!" Axlerod cried. " _Me_?! You've got to be _crazy_!"

Fudge took a deep breath, determined to be as brave as possible. "No! He's right!"

"I figured it out when I realised y'all attached this tickin' time bomb with Whitworth bolts, the same bolts that hold together that old British engine from the photograph. Holley! Show that picture!"

"Okay!" she obeyed, bringing it up on her computer.

"And look!" Fudge slid off Lightning's hood to point to something in the photo and she became aware of all eyes on her. Her voice sounded a little funny because she was still crying, but she kept going. "You can see the tracking device right here! A113! Now, let me show you _this_!" She tried to pull up the information on her watch, but an error message flashed up. "What's it doing? It's never done _this_ before!"

A113 had disappeared off the tracking device list.

"Oh, no! A113's gone!" Fudge reported, horrified. "How did _that_ happen?!" She was panicking and her tears started up again, so Lightning nuzzled her gently and sat her back down on his hood.

"A113?" Axlerod repeated, confusion evident in his tone. "What is _that_?"

Fudge didn't answer. She just murmured, "Let me find that recording..." She tried to listen through the recording again to find Axlerod's voice, but was struggling to find it. This wasn't going as well as she hoped.

"Fudge, you keep tryin' ta get that to work. I'll tell 'em what I know", Mater whispered to his human friend, who nodded in comprehension, not looking up from what she was doing. So, Mater continued. "Then I remembered what they say about old British engines. 'If there ain't no oil under 'em, there ain't no oil in 'em.'"

" _What_ is he talking about?!" Axlerod demanded.

Mater rolled closer to Axlerod. "It was you leakin' oil at the party in Japan!" he accused. "You just blamed it on _me_!"

"I _knew_ it!" Fudge cried.

"Electric cars don't _use_ oil, you twits!" Axlerod countered.

"Don't. Call. Us. _That_!" Fudge hissed at him.

"Well, then, you're fakin' it!" Mater insisted. "You didn't convert to no electric!" He kept rolling closer to the oil billionaire. "We pop that hood, we gonna see that engine from that picture right there."

"This lorry's crazy! He's gonna kill us all!" Axlerod cried, reversing away from Mater. He was too focused on getting away from Mater that he nearly fell right off the stage! "Stay away!"

"But Sir Axlerod created the race, Mater!" Holley insisted. "Why would he want to hurt anyone?"

"To make Allinol look bad, so everybody would go back to usin' oil", Mater explained. "I mean he said it himself in that dee-scized voice."

" _Dee-scized_ _voice_?!" Axlerod repeated. "What are you _talking_ about?! You're nuts, you are!"

"This is going nowhere fast!" Prince Wheeliam commented anxiously to the Queen. "We really should go, Grandmother."

"One moment", she responded. "I'd like to see where this is going."

The bomb was counting down fast.

"Mater, he _created_ Allinol", Finn attempted to reason.

"I _really_ don't think Sir Axlerod is the guy we're looking for, guys", Sammy added, sounding quite bored. "Finn's right. The guy _created_ Allinol _and_ the whole goddamn World Grand Prix. Seems like a lot of effort to go to just to hurt a couple of cars. If I were you, I'd just drop it before we _all_ die."

"Yes. Listen to them!" Axlerod shouted. "Listen to the pretty lady! You're _crazy!_ "

"Yeah, but what if he found that huge oil field just as the world was tryin' to find somethin' else?" Mater argued. "What if he came up with Allinol just to make alternative fuel look bad?"

"' _What if_?!'" Axlerod exploded incredulously. "You're basing this on a ' _what if_ '?!"

"Okay! That's it!" the guards decided, sensing that this wasn't going to get resolved anytime soon.

"Yeah, this is hopeless!" Sammy agreed.

"Come on, lads. Clear out."

"Wait! Somebody save me!" Axlerod yelled as everyone else drove off. "The lorry's crazy! _And_ the human! Keep away, you idiots!"

"Mater! Fudge!" Finn shouted.

Only a few seconds left.

"Mater!" Holley cried.

"Someone, _do_ something!" Axlerod pleaded as Lightning and the spies, who were still on the stage, braced themselves for the explosion.

" _I'll_ do something!" Fudge piped up, sniffling, getting off Lightning's hood again and standing by Mater's side, both physically and metaphorically. "Because I have a recording right here of you talking to Professor Zundapp about your plans!" She had just found his voice.

"Professor Zundapp?!" the oil billionaire echoed incredulously. "I've _never_ heard that name in my _life_. You're insane, you are! _Both_ of you!"

"Are we?" Fudge pressed the button on her watch.

" _Is everything ready, Zundapp?_ " came Axlerod's unmistakable voice.

" _Yes, sir. Have you activated the bomb?_ "

" _Yes_ ", Axlerod confirmed. " _You just leave me to worry about that_."

" _My only concern is that it is voice-activated. What if the tow truck tries to disarm it?_ "

" _I_ told _you to leave me to worry about that. It can only be disarmed by the one who_ _activated_ _it, which is_ me." There was a pause. " _Everything's ready. Tomorrow, Zundapp. Tomorrow_ _will_ _be the death of Allinol and alternative fuel forever. And we will be the richest, most_ _powerful_ _cars in the world_. _As for the humans, who don't require fuel? Well, we'll just kill them all_."

Axlerod stared at Fudge in shock. So did everyone else. He probably knew by then that denying it was pretty much pointless. And he also knew that he couldn't win, but there was only one way that he was getting out of this mess alive.

"Deactivate!"

With one second to go, the bomb switched off with a beep.

" _Bomb deactivated_ ", the computer announced. " _Have a nice day, Sir Axlerod._ "

"Yeah, I'm sure you'll have a nice day in jail where you belong!" Fudge declared. She and Mater were grinning like crazy and definitely enjoying the moment. They'd really busted the guy behind one of the biggest scams of all times! "And the computer actually says your _name_? That's kinda dumb!"

The police surrounded Axlerod, who began hyperventilating. Mater fished out his tow hook and popped his hood open to reveal...

"The engine from the photo", Finn observed.

"It's a perfect match", Holley confirmed, bringing the photo up on her computer.

"Even with the tracking device", Sammy added. "It's been switched off somehow." She turned to stare at the tow truck and human girl in amazement. "Well, I'll be damned!"

"How did the _tow truck_ figure it out?!" Axlerod wondered. "And how did the human _get_ the recording?!"

"Yes." Finn was also looking at Fudge. "How _did_ you get all that?"

"Well, I turned on the recording device during the meeting in Porto Corsa, so we could keep any evidence", Fudge explained, buzzing with pride, nerves and excitement. "And I... just never turned it off. It must've gotten everything while we were knocked out."

Finn was impressed. "Brilliant! Just brilliant! Quick thinking that really paid off!"

Sammy picked the girl up and faced the Queen, guards, Radiator Springs citizens and a few other spectators still there. "Let's hear it for Fudge Rossi-Topolino and Tow Mater!"

So, the crowd went wild as Sammy tossed the child in the air, much to her delight.

"It's official!" Lightning declared to Mater, smiling. "You're coming to _all_ my races from now on!"

"Now, you're talkin'!" Mater replied happily as the two bumped tyres.

"And I'm sorry for never bringing you. And getting mad at you. It'll never happen again."

"It's okay, buddy. I believe you."

The two best friends smiled at each other.

Fudge ran over to them. "We did it, Mater!" she cheered, unable to hide her joy.

The tow truck hugged her and gave her a nuzzle in response. "Thanks, Fudge. I couldn't have done it without you."

"And _I_ couldn't have done it without _you_!" Fudge answered, returning the affection. "I would've been too scared to do it if I'd been on my own. Thank you." She smiled broadly. "And hey! We always knew when we played Secret Agents back home that we made a really good team. And now, _everyone_ knows it!"

"Yeah..." Mater agreed. "Yeah they do."

The rest of the cars from Radiator Springs came rushing up towards them and crowded around. Guido scooped Fudge up into his forks and held her like a baby. He and Luigi immediately started kissing her noisily and repeatedly.

"Are you okay, Fudgie?!" the Fiat demanded.

"Yeah, I'm fine", she assured them.

"That was insane, man!" Fillmore proclaimed.

"I can't believe you two actually _did_ that!" Sarge added.

"We are all so proud of you both", Sally informed the two heroes.

Fudge laughed as Guido set her down and everyone came in for a group hug. "Thanks, guys."

It truly was a wonderful moment of relief, celebration and love. Everyone revelled in it and thought that there was no way things could go wrong now. But _nobody_ was prepared for what happened next. Least of all, Fudge.

 **That's right! Another cliffhanger! Based on reviews I've gotten in the past, I'd say I'm pretty good at that! I hope you all enjoyed that chapter and will join me yet again for the next one! :)**


	29. Emergency

**I've been asked about how I'm going to have this finished for the sixteenth and my only response is: You just leave me to worry about that. I have a plan. According to that plan,** **I wasn't supposed to publish this until tomorrow, but I was bored and decided that it would be okay to post a day early (and I'm sure you guys aren't complaining!). And you'll learn a little more of Sammy's backstory in this chapter.**

 **Even so, I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter, so...**

 **Chapter 29- Emergency**

"Get your bloody tyres _off_ me!" Axlerod yelled as the police struggled to drag him off. "Don't you know who I _am_?! We'll get you all for this! See if we don't! I'll get my revenge! Mark my words! Long live Lemons! **LONG LIVE LEMONS!** "

Sammy rolled her eyes. "What a drama queen!"

The now-exposed mastermind lunged for Mater and Fudge. " _You_! You two did this to me! You ruined me! I _will_ get my revenge! You will both regret this day for the rest of your miserable lives!"

Without warning, he lunged again. Mater managed to roll out of the way just in the nick of time, but Fudge was knocked to the ground.

"Fudge!" everyone gasped, horrified.

"I'm fine, I'm fine!" she assured them all as she propped herself up onto her elbows. Her ribs felt a little sore, but other than that, she was completely unharmed.

For about two seconds.

It happened so fast that nobody really registered what had happened straight away. One of Axlerod's tyres flung out so quickly that it almost looked like it was independent from the rest of his body. It landed on Fudge's right leg and made its way across it, pressing down as hard as Axlerod could.

The group cringed as they heard that god-awful crunch and a pain-filled scream.

Axlerod tried to keep going. He wanted to run her over completely, _crush_ that weak, pathetic human with his tyre, but before he could go any further, he was once again apprehended by the police.

"Fudgie!" Luigi exclaimed, rushing over to her. "Fudgie, are you okay?!"

"No..." she whimpered.

Then they could see that she definitely wasn't. Her face was bright red and scrunched up in pain as tears streamed down it. And they couldn't believe the sight of her leg. It was bent at an angle that none of them would have ever imagined was possible.

"Oh, my God!" Lightning exclaimed. "That is _bad_!"

Sammy took one look at it and announced, "That is definitely broken."

"It hurts, it hurts!" Fudge cried.

"We know it does", Luigi assured her. "It is going to be okay, angel."

Nobody noticed because they were too distracted by Fudge, but Axlerod let himself be led away by police, smirking in triumph. It wasn't exactly the elaborate, horrible revenge he was hoping for, but it would have to do for now.

"What do we do?!" Lightning questioned anxiously.

"We have to get her to a hospital", Finn replied calmly.

"I'll call an ambulance!" Sammy got her phone out and ran off.

"Everyone else, give her some space", Finn instructed.

So, the cars from Radiator Springs all moved back. Except for Luigi and Guido. The two of them stayed by her side, each held one of her hands and whispered soothingly that it was going to be okay.

"The ambulance is coming!" Sammy reported, returning several minutes later.

"Will it be here soon?" Fudge asked in between groans of agony.

"I am sure they will be here as soon as they can", Luigi assured her softly, wiping the blood and tears from his daughter's face. "It is going to be okay."

"Luigi... it hurts..."

"I know it does."

A few minutes later, it was, "Luigi? I'm cold."

"I think she's in shock", Finn, who was parked nearby, explained.

Luigi gave her a kiss. "My poor baby. The ambulance will be here as soon as it can, Fudgie."

"Is she gonna be okay?" Mater wondered anxiously after what felt like ages past.

Like everyone else, he was unable to hide his concern for the girl. She was screaming the whole time they waited for the ambulance. She was obviously in a _lot_ of pain.

"She should be fine once she gets to a hospital", Finn assured him.

"Where is that ambulance?!" Sally asked.

"I thought it would be _here_ by now!" Lightning added.

Even Holley was getting worried by then. "It's been almost half an hour", she commented.

"I'm sure it won't be far off now", Sarge informed her.

* * *

If ten minutes counts as "not far off", then Sarge was right. By the time they heard the wailing sirens, they'd been waiting for close to forty minutes.

"Fudgie, the ambulance is here", Luigi informed her.

"What took them so long?!" she grunted.

It didn't matter what had taken them so long. What mattered was that they were there now. Three humans- two men and a woman- jumped out and made their way over to Fudge to check her over.

"It hurts!" she cried. "It hurts!"

"It's going to be all right, sweetheart", the woman assured her in a soothing British accent as the three paramedics loaded her onto a stretcher. "We're going to the hospital now. You're gonna be just fine."

"Luigi!" Fudge shouted as she was carried over to the ambulance. "Guido!"

The poor girl sounded frightened and her two fathers felt sorry for her. They wished that they could ride in the ambulance with her to the hospital, but, unfortunately, it wasn't a very big ambulance, suitable for human transportation (after all, they were going to a _human_ hospital) rather than vehicles. Fudge was going to have to go to the hospital on her own and she was afraid. She'd _never_ been in an ambulance before.

"(Poor baby!)" Guido cried sympathetically.

"It is going to be okay, Fudgie!" Luigi called, peering into the ambulance as his daughter was placed inside of it. "Luigi and Guido are going to be at the hospital as soon as we can. We will see you soon, baby. It is going to be okay."

Fudge was crying hard by then. "Okay... I love you!"

"We love you too!" Guido and Luigi both responded (Guido spoke in Italian while Luigi spoke in English).

"Which hospital is she being taken to?" Finn asked one of the male paramedics.

"Luxo Hospital", he replied. "It's on Lasseter Way."

Finn nodded. "I know where it is. Should we go straight to the emergency room when we get there?"

"Yes. If she's not still there, someone will know where she's been taken."

Finn nodded again. "Thank you."

The doors slammed shut and the ambulance started up again, picking up speed. Since Fudge didn't like loud noises, the sirens blaring wasn't fun at all for her. She cried all the way to the hospital, not paying any attention to the paramedics treating her.

The eleven-year-old also couldn't help thinking of Doc, which made her cry even more, the pain of missing him returning. Fudge thought of him for two reasons. One, the last time she was in a hospital was when Doc was sick. And two, she wished that Doc was the one looking after her at that point, not these strangers.

She thought about what he would do if he _was_ treating her. There were so many times in her young life that she either ran over herself or was taken to Doc's clinic by one of the others in tears because she'd hurt herself in some way. He'd raise an eye frame and try to hide a smile in a look of amusement, slight annoyance and sympathy all in one as he asked in a tone to match, "What have you _done_ , kiddo?" Then she- or whoever brought her over if she was crying too hard- would recount the child's latest misadventure, often prompting the Hudson Hornet to shake his hood.

"I worry about you sometimes, Fudge", he'd commented on multiple occasions.

Then he would treat her injuries and repeat in a soothing voice that she was all right and that everything would be okay. And, once he'd finished, he would give the girl a lollipop.

But Doc wasn't here. None of her family was. She was so scared.

"I wanna go home..." Fudge found herself whimpering before she could stop herself.

"You can't go home", one of the paramedics informed her firmly, but gently. "You need to go to the hospital. This looks pretty bad."

Because _that_ was gonna make her feel better.

* * *

Luckily, it didn't seem to take long to reach the hospital. Fudge's leg was really starting to hurt as the paramedics got her out and wheeled her down a hallway.

"It's going to be all right", the paramedics kept assuring her as they took her down the hallway.

Fudge didn't remember much of what happened next. She knew that she had her leg X-rayed and not long after that, she was being wheeled off for surgery where she began to feel sleepy. So, she fell asleep. At least that meant that she didn't feel any pain.

* * *

Luxo Hospital, where Fudge had been taken, was a hospital for humans and, as a result, had predominantly human staff with most of, if not, all of the vehicle staff being cleaners and things like that. That was quite often the way it worked. Humans treated humans and vehicles treated vehicles. Still, the hospital was big enough for vehicles to enter, so that they could visit their human friends and family.

And that was exactly what the cars from Radiator Springs were doing there. Luigi had gone straight to the receptionist and gave her Fudge's name, when she came in and that she had a broken leg.

"The break in her leg was bad", the receptionist reported. "She had to be taken in for immediate surgery. I'll have the doctor come and talk to you as soon as possible."

They were left with no choice but to wait.

"Is she gonna be okay?" Mater questioned worriedly. He didn't know very much about broken bones.

"She'll be fine", Finn insisted firmly. "A broken bone isn't _too_ serious."

"But she's having _surgery_ on it", Lightning pointed out fearfully.

"She'll be fine once she's had the surgery", Finn repeated.

The wait was a long one. It was hard to know what to do to entertain themselves until they received news on Fudge's condition. Luigi was filling out forms that he'd been given, but other than that, they were all extremely bored. Besides, it was getting late, on top of most of the group experiencing jet lag and exhaustion from travelling, it was no surprise that a lot of them were struggling to stay awake.

Relief washed over the group when a doctor approached them.

"Is she okay?!" Luigi quizzed him nervously.

"Your daughter's fine", he assured him. "She's been taken to her own hospital room. You can see her in a moment, but first, I want to show you something." He produced some X-rays. "Her leg has been broken in four places." He gestured to each of them. "And there are several more areas where the bone has cracked, but not broken." Again, he pointed all of them out, one of which was her knee. "We have operated and put pins into her leg to assist with the healing. We also found a deep wound on her cheek, which required stitches, so we took care of that too. Now, we would just like to keep her here for a few days."

"When can we see her?" Luigi wanted to know.

The doctor glanced up at a nearby clock. "Visiting hours are almost over", he reported. "However, I think we can make an exception just this once. She's in room 715."

The group thanked him and made their way towards the elevators.

* * *

When they reached room 715, they saw that Fudge had been changed into a hospital gown and she was still asleep. Her right leg was slightly elevated and had been set in a cast from the thigh to half of her foot. They could also tell that she'd had stitches where the bullet had grazed her cheek.

"Is she okay?" Mater asked. The others knew that he was concerned by the fact that she wasn't awake.

"She's fine", Finn replied for what he felt like was the millionth time. Still, he couldn't blame them for being worried and that was exactly why there was no exasperation in his voice.

"She's just sleeping", Lightning added.

"When's she gonna wake up?"

"I don't think it'll be _that_ long", Sammy spoke up. She'd been quiet for a while. "She must've been out for a couple of hours already."

Not long later, the first thing Fudge heard was what sounded like someone singing. It was hard for her to tell who it was or what they were singing, but there was no doubt that someone was singing. Then the girl became aware of other things. A rattling sound. Then there was something pulling at her hair gently.

"Look!" a southern accent that could only be Mater shouted. "She's wakin' up!"

"I'm not surprised with you makin' all that noise!" someone else whispered loudly with a hiss. Only Fudge couldn't make out who that was.

Still feeling very drowsy and kind of sick, Fudge's eyes fluttered open. For a moment, her vision was blurry, but when her eyes adjusted, she saw that she was somewhere else in the hospital with a cast on and her family as well as Finn, Holley and Sammy were gathered around her bed, staring at her in concern. She realised that Luigi was the one singing (he was singing one of the Italian songs he knew she liked), the rattling noise was just the rain on the window and the pulling was Guido playing with her hair, which was something he often did.

"Fudgie!" Luigi cried.

"Hi, Fudge", everyone else greeted her quietly.

"Hey..." she mumbled drowsily.

"How you feeling, solider?" Sarge questioned.

"Dizzy", she responded. "And sick."

"Well, that's normal", Sammy assured her from her spot in one of the two chairs in the room. She was sat in one with her feet up on the other and had been leafing through a magazine casually, only to toss it aside when Fudge woke up.

"You'll be feeling better in no time", Sally added.

"So... is you gonna be okay?" Mater wanted to confirm.

"I think so..." Fudge looked around at the others uncertainly.

"Of course!" Luigi answered her unvoiced question. "Fudgie, you are going to be just fine." He gave her a kiss. "You need to stay in hospital for a few days, but it is nothing to worry about, okay?" He explained what the doctors had done while she was asleep.

Fudge just nodded and replied with, "Okay."

"There's nothing to worry about", Finn spoke up. "You are going to be fine. Your leg might hurt for a while, but you can be brave. I know you can. I've seen it today."

Fudge was puzzled. "What?"

"Fudge, it took a lot of courage to expose Axlerod like that", Finn explained. "You are by far the most courageous eleven-year-old I have ever met."

The human girl couldn't help but beam with pride at that comment.

Unfortunately, that was when a nurse came in and told the group that it was time for all of them to leave.

"Are you going to be okay tonight?" Luigi questioned.

Fudge nodded, but she didn't seem sure at all. "I'll miss you."

"I know, but we will be back first thing in the morning", the Fiat promised, kissing her yet again. "Guido and I are going to stay in the hospital, but we have to leave you to get some sleep, okay?"

Another nod. So, everyone crowded around the bed, giving Fudge hugs, kisses, well wishes and "I love yous" before they all rolled out of the room and were gone.

Except for one.

"Sammy? Aren't you supposed to be leaving?"

"Yeah, yeah, in a sec", the human spy replied, standing up and moving closer to the bed. "I wanna talk to you."

"About what?"

"Fudge, what you and Mater did today... That was... That was really brave."

"You really think so?"

"I _know_ so! Fudge, I don't know any other eleven-year-olds who could've done that!" There was a pause as she added quietly, "The two of you really impressed me... And I'm sorry I doubted you."

"It's okay."

"No, it's not!" Sammy insisted. "I could see it in your eyes. I hurt your feelings when I called you a dumb kid and said you couldn't do this. And that you shouldn't be in the mission" A depressed sigh came from Sammy. "I was just trying to protect you guys. I just couldn't be responsible for _another_ death."

"Oh, yeah", Fudge murmured. "Rod..." She remembered hearing of her mentor's tragic fate when they were captured by the Lemons.

"Not just Rod!"

Fudge stared her, fully alert.

"I... I killed my babies!"

"What?"

"Two boys", the woman confirmed. "Jamie was three and Cody was eight months. One night, I put them in the bath and I... I heard the phone ring. I left to answer it, but when I got back..." She trailed off, unable to finish her sentence. It didn't matter anyway. Fudge knew exactly where it was going.

"When I became a spy, I was so determined to get everything right. I just couldn't lead another person to their death. But I did! There was nothing I could do to help Rod! So, when you and Mater got caught up in this, I knew, I _knew_ , I absolutely _had_ to protect you both at any costs! Which means I said some things that I really didn't mean. And I'm sorry about that."

"Don't be", Fudge insisted. "I'm okay. Really."

Sammy never got the chance to reply. The nurse returned, repeating that Sammy really had to leave.

"You can come back and see your sister in the morning", she informed her.

The two humans shared a smile. The nurse thought that they were sisters. That was understandable, considering how similar they looked. And they weren't about to correct her either.

Sammy smirked as she stood in the doorway. "I'll see you tomorrow... sis."

Fudge grinned. "Yeah... See ya."

And just like that, Fudge was left all alone in her hospital room.

 **Yeah... Like I said, I'm not entirely sure how I feel about this one. I suck at writing medical stuff. All I have in this chapter was stuff I already knew and information I got from researching online (and that wasn't much!). That's one of the reasons why I'm a little hesitant with _Ride_. (I know, I know! I keep talking about that one. I don't know why. It's not that spectacular. Again, if you have any requests/suggestions, please feel free to let me know. I have the basis, which is on my profile, but I'm not sure how to keep it moving forward.)**

 **Does anybody get the reference to the hospital name? And the street it's on?**

 **And now we know why Sammy's been looking down on Fudge and Mater! She was just trying to protect them because she already feels responsible for enough deaths!**

 **One last quick thing: I thought you guys might want a heads-up. It's not definite, but I _might_ be deleting _Tales From Radiator Springs_. I'm not 100% happy with most of the stories I have there. I think what I'm gonna do is leave it up for now, but take it down and rewrite it when I feel I have the time and ideas on how to make it better. Just thought that I'd let you know.**

 **Guess the only thing left to say is: Please review! Thank you.**


	30. Hospital

**First of all, I would like to shout out a very happy twelfth birthday to the first** ** _Cars_** **movie! I am so glad that these movies came into my life! And that was all I had to say for this intro, so let's get straight into it!**

 **Chapter 30- Hospital**

For the first time in a long time, Fudge slept well for her first night in the hospital without the assistance of any gas or shots. Maybe at first, it was difficult to get into a good position with a broken leg and was a little uncomfortable, but once she got going, she slept like a baby. It was one of the best feelings in the world that night.

The weird thing was that she had a dream about Doc. Ever since he passed on, she would always have dreams featuring her old doctor and grandfather figure whenever she was sick or hurt. At first, Fudge thought that it was just a coincidence. Then it happened so often that she told her family about them and they insisted that it was Doc watching over her. It was a thought that made her very happy indeed.

Still, what was even better than that night was the morning. After choking down a rather disgusting breakfast, Fudge glanced up at two familiar voices greeting her warmly with, " _Buon giorno, Fudgie_!"

Her face lit up. "Guido! Luigi!"

They moved closer to their daughter's bed and each gave her a hug and a big kiss.

"Are you okay?" Luigi wanted to know.

"I'm fine", Fudge assured him.

"(Did you sleep well?)" Guido asked.

" _Si_." The eleven-year-old nodded. "(What about you two?)"

"We have been awake most of the night worrying about you", Luigi informed her, planting a kiss on the top of her head. "Does your leg still hurt?"

"A little bit", she admitted, "but not as bad as yesterday."

Luigi nodded.

"Where's everyone else?" Fudge questioned.

"They will be here soon, baby", Luigi answered.

"Okay."

"Guido and I just got here first because we are staying in the hospital", Luigi reminded her. "I am sure everyone else will be here soon. They are going to want to see you."

As if on cue, the door opened. But it was hard for Fudge to see her family. Instead, all she could see were flowers, cards, balloons and presents.

"Wow!" she exclaimed, giggling as it all came flooding into her room.

"Hey, sweetie!" Sally greeted her.

"Hi... What's all this?"

"Well, we can't let ya stay in the hospital without spoilin' ya, kiddo!" Sheriff chuckled.

"That's right!" Sammy agreed. "Especially not when you're a little hero!"

Fudge giggled, her face as red as a tomato. She thought that this was great and really appreciated what everyone had done for her, but she was still embarrassed.

She stopped smiling when she noticed a few people missing.

"Where are Mater, Holley and Finn?"

"Had to go to CHROME headquarters", Sammy reported, leaning back in one of the chairs and putting her feet up on the other just as she'd done the day before. Fudge noticed that she'd changed clothes. She was now dressed in a dark purple leather jacket, black T-shirt, blue jeans and spotless white sports shoes and the eleven-year-old couldn't help but wonder where she got the new outfit from. The day before, she'd still been wearing her black leather jacket and her waitress uniform from Porto Corsa. "They were gonna try and figure it out a way to remove the bomb. Oh! And they said they were gonna come here after that to try and remove that tracking device."

Fudge nodded. "All right."

"In the meantime, open your presents!" Lightning instructed. He thrust it at her. "Here. Open this one first!"

"Okay", Fudge agreed, looking at the label on it. "It's from _you_!"

Everyone laughed.

Fudge unwrapped all of the presents to find that she had received lots of games, books and movies as well as other things she could do to entertain herself with a broken leg as well as new pyjamas.

"You're not gonna be able to do much for a couple of months while your leg heals", Sarge explained with a smile. "And we don't want you getting bored in that time."

The eleven-year-old grinned. "Thanks."

"And you don't have any other clothes here", Sally added. "So, we got you some pyjamas as well."

"Thanks!" Fudge repeated. Then she gasped and turned to Luigi. "Wait!"

"What?" Luigi asked worriedly.

"I had checked baggage from when Mater and I were supposed to go home! Am I gonna get that back?!"

"I don't know", Luigi answered. "I will call the airline company later if you want... Do you remember who you were flying with?"

Fudge told him.

"Okay. I will call them later."

* * *

Mater arrived with Finn, Holley and an unfamiliar white forklift wearing glasses just as Fudge was finishing up her lunch. They, too, were loaded with flowers, cards, balloons and presents.

"We wanted to give these to you personally", Finn explained.

"Thank you."

"And, Fudge, this is Alex", Finn introduced the forklift. "She's going to remove the tracking device from your hand."

"All right..."

Alex held up a small item that looked like a scalpel. "Now, this may hurt a little", she informed the human girl, "but this shouldn't take long at all."

"Okay." Fudge smiled gratefully when Guido took her other hand as Alex got to work on the tracking device.

"Ready? One... two... three!"

" _Owww_!" Fudge couldn't help crying out, squeezing Guido's fork tighter.

"That's it!" Alex announced. "Done!" Fudge glanced at her hand to see a fair amount of blood coming from it. "Now, let me just take care of the bleeding." She took out a bandage and wrapped it around the child's hand. "Okay. Done." Alex turned back to Finn. "Thank you, Agent McMissile. Now, I must be getting back to headquarters."

Everyone thanked Alex and she left.

* * *

"Hey! Fudge! Guess what, guess what!" Mater exclaimed once she was gone. He was wiggling around and shaking his tow hook like an overexcited puppy.

"What?"

"We is gettin' rewarded for what we did!"

Fudge blinked. "We are?"

Finn smiled. "Yes. You and Mater are both being rewarded with honourary knighthood."

"You're _kidding_!" Lightning exclaimed, amongst everyone else's shouts of how impressive that was.

Fudge didn't know what that meant, but it sounded fancy. "What does that mean?"

Finn explained.

"Wow!" The girl was impressed.

"Damn right wow!" Sammy agreed. "You both deserve it. Really."

Fudge beamed. "Thanks, Sammy!"

"She is right!" Luigi piped up. "We are all so proud of you both!" He kissed Fudge on the cheek.

* * *

Despite being in the hospital, Fudge ended up having a pretty good day. After all, she was with her friends and family, talking and laughing. They did everything that they could to keep her entertained and she was happy. Until it was time for everyone to leave.

"I'll miss you!" Fudge declared, giving them all a sad puppy face.

"We know, Fudgie, but we will be back first thing in the morning again", Luigi promised, kissing her.

"I know."

Fudge's day went downhill from there. Dinner was just as enjoyable as breakfast and lunch, which wasn't saying much. She decided to write the story of her adventure down in her journal. It had been in her backpack the whole time (and she was relieved that it hadn't been soaked by her trip in the river), but she hadn't gotten a chance to write until now. Normally, her hand would hurt after a while and she'd stop, but this time, the words tumbled naturally onto page after page and she didn't want to stop until the whole story was out. Then she watched TV for a while before settling down to go to sleep.

* * *

Again, sleep didn't come easy to the poor child and when it _did_ come, it wasn't exactly kind. Ever since learning about how her mother had abandoned her and that she faced the possibility of leaving Radiator Springs, the girl had become prone to nightmares. It didn't happen often anymore, now that she had accepted that she'd been abandoned, had a loving family and was going to stay with them, but every now and then, she still had bad dreams. Unfortunately, this was one of those nights.

She dreamt about the London race. Everything was going smoothly. Lightning sailed past Francesco for the lead. Team McQueen were cheering like crazy for their favourite famous race car. But then, all of a sudden...

A deafening boom sounded all across the race track. All Fudge could see were flames, but she could hear voices. The Lemons laughing like maniacs with Axlerod, both his disguised voice and his normal voice, louder than anybody. Francesco was also laughing, declaring that there was no way that he could lose now.

As if that wasn't bad enough, it was only a few seconds later that another loud boom met her ears. She turned around and knew straight away what it was.

" **MATER!** " Fudge shrieked, purely horrified, trying to run towards her tow truck friend. "No! No, no, no, no, no, no, no, _no_!"

There was nothing she could do. The tow truck, well, he wasn't really a tow truck anymore. Twisted bits of blackened metal were all around her. The heat from the flames and the thick smoke that billowed all around her were so intense. Oh, God! Mater?

Laughter came from behind her. Fudge whipped around and gasped to find that Axlerod, Professor Z, Grem and Acer were right behind her. And behind _them_ were an entire army of other Lemons.

"We are so sorry for your loss", Axlerod informed her in mock remorse and sympathy.

"Yeah!" Grem smirked as all of the Lemons aimed their powerful-looking guns at her. "We're _all_ sorry for _your_ loss!"

* * *

The collective loud bangs jostled Fudge from her sleep and she began panting heavily, sweat dripping down her forehead. Although she was relieved that she was safe, she wished that she was at home in her own bedroom rather than an unfamiliar hospital room who knew how many miles away from home. She glanced at the clock. 4:14 A.M. Her hands were shaking as she rang the bell for the nurse. By the time she arrived, the child was crying.

"What seems to be the problem?"

There was no way that Fudge was going to talk about her nightmare to this nurse, so she responded with, "I want my daddies!"

The nurse didn't answer. She just left the room.

It felt like the nurse was gone forever. Fudge was starting to wonder if she was ever coming back. In the end she didn't come back at all. Instead, it was Guido who came in!

"Fudgie!" He rolled over to her bed, pressing the button to raise the top half, so Fudge was now sitting up and gave her a big hug.

"I had a nightmare!"

"(Poor baby!)" Guido sympathised.

With tears rushing down her face, Fudge described her bad dream to her father.

"(It is okay!)" he assured her, holding her close and rocking her back and forth. "(It was just a dream. Everything is okay. Those cars can't hurt you anymore.)"

"(I know, but...)"

"(I know, I know)", Guido whispered.

"(I was really scared!)" Fudge whimpered.

"(I know, but it is okay. That is not going to happen to you or anyone else.)"

"(I hope not!)"

"(It is okay)", Guido insisted. He pressed the button again to lower Fudge back down. "(You should go back to sleep.)"

"Okay..." Fudge sniffled as Guido began to sing to her softly and it wasn't long before his daughter was fast asleep again. But Guido couldn't help but worry.


	31. Hospital (Part 2)

**From now on, I'm gonna be posting every second day until the sixteenth, so I really hope you enjoy these last couple of chapters!**

 **Chapter 31- Hospital (Part 2)**

It turned out that Guido was absolutely right to worry about his daughter. The following night, the exact same thing happened. He'd just been unable to sleep and so, was getting himself something to drink when a nurse came hurrying down the hall from the direction of Fudge's room.

"There you are!" she exclaimed as soon as she saw Guido. "It's your daughter! She's crying again! Won't tell me what's wrong, just that she wants you!"

The blue forklift didn't hesitate to make his way into Fudge's room.

"Fudgie!" he cried when he opened the door to find her sobbing.

"Guido!" she wailed.

"(Did you have another bad dream?)"

She nodded. "(It was the same one!)"

"Okay, okay!" Guido put his arms around her and held her close to him.

"(I want to go home! I want to go back to Radiator Springs!)"

"(I know)", he responded sympathetically. "(But you can't. You need to stay in hospital for a few more days. We will go home as soon as we can.)"

"Okay..."

"(But for now, I am here. Just like if we were in Radiator Springs. It's okay, Fudgie.)"

Even with tears spilling down her cheeks, Fudge had to smile. Guido was right. That was when Fudge realised something. Home was not a place. It was people.

* * *

Two days later, the RS gang and CHROME agents arrived at the hospital as usual.

"We're here!" Lightning announced, opening the door to the room, only to find a sole nurse in there.

"Where's Fudge?" Fillmore asked.

"The doctor wanted to get some more X-rays", the nurse reported. "She should be back in a few minutes."

The others nodded. "Thank you."

"What is going on?" someone behind them questioned.

Everyone turned to see Luigi there with a cup of coffee.

They were all surprised to see him there. "You're not with Fudge?"

Luigi shook his hood. "No... Where is she?"

Finn repeated what the nurse had told them.

"Well, where is Guido?"

"I don't know", the group answered almost in unison.

"He might be with Fudge", Luigi guessed. "He has been in there earlier than I have every day."

Luigi didn't know that that was because of Fudge's nightmares. She'd been having them every night while she was in the hospital except for the first. She'd wake up in tears, ring the bell for the nurse, who would get Guido (Luigi was a very heavy sleeper and so, he would never wake up) and he would go and comfort her until she fell asleep again and the others would arrive in the morning.

" _Buon giorno_!" Guido's voice called from behind them.

Everyone turned to find Guido pushing a wheelchair with Fudge in it!

"There you are!" Luigi cried, hurrying over to them.

"Here I am!" Fudge agreed, hugging Luigi.

"How are you?" the others all quizzed her.

"I'm good", she informed them, not wanting to reveal her nightmares to everyone. "Guess what, guess what!"

"What?" everyone asked.

"I'm leaving tomorrow!"

There was a round of, "All rights!" and "That's greats!"

"(Fudgie has been shown how to use her crutches)", Guido explained. "(And she has had some practice.)"

"And I'm gonna get more practice later!" Fudge added once Luigi had translated for Guido.

"Yes", the nurse agreed, "but for now, we gotta get you back to bed."

* * *

"So... what's gonna happen to Axlerod and all of those other guys?" Fudge wanted to know once the nurse had gone.

"They are currently in CHROME's care", Finn explained. "We are going through the evidence to make sure we have enough to have them convicted." He cast Mater and Fudge a smile. "And thanks to you two, that should be easy. Fudge, do you think you can send me that recording?"

"Sure." Fudge got out her watch and, following Finn's instructions, was able to send him the recording of Axlerod's plans.

"Thank you."

A few hours later, a nurse came in with Fudge's lunch.

"Fudgie?" Luigi began once his daughter started eating. "I think we are going to get some lunch too. Will you be okay on your own for a little while?"

She nodded. She was going to miss them, but she knew they needed to get some food. "Okay. I'll see you soon."

"Okay." Her visitors all started filing out of the room, except for one.

"Mater? Did you want some lunch?" Lightning asked.

"Yeah, in a minute, buddy", the tow truck replied absently. "I jus' wanna talk to Fudge first."

"All right." Lightning left with the others.

"So... what did you wanna talk about?" Fudge wanted to know as she continued to eat away at her food to get it all down.

"Well, uh... I been thinking lately and, uh... I done made up with McQueen, but..."

"But what?"

"You... you said some things that I..."

Confusion took over the human's face. "What did I say?"

"In Paris. You was sayin' it ain't Radiator Springs. But McQueen done said it is and I should be myself everywhere."

Oh. Oops. "Mater, that wasn't what I meant!" Fudge tried to explain.

"Well, then, what _did_ ya mean?"

"I just meant..." The girl was struggling for how to word what she wanted to say. "I meant we _literally_ weren't in Radiator Springs! And I was really scared! I didn't mean... you know..." She gave him a small smile. "I wouldn't want you to be anybody but Mater."

Mater smiled broadly. "Thanks, Fudge."

After a long hug, Fudge grinned and changed the subject.

"Well, now you have a spy to add to your list of things you've done", Fudge informed him with a smile.

Mater looked blank. "What?"

"You know, you've told me you've been a fire truck, a monster truck wrestler, been to the moon and seen a UFO..." the human girl reminded him. She didn't _believe_ Mater's stories, but found them entertaining all the same. Occasionally, he'd throw her into the situations.

"I don't remember that", Fudge would remark, just going with the story.

"Yeah, well, you was very little at the time", Mater would explain.

Fudge would nod and smile. "Oh, that makes sense."

"Well, now, you've been a spy as well", Fudge pointed out.

The tow truck lit up. "Oh, yeah! I _have_ been a spy! Did I ever tell you about the time where I was a big rock star?"

At the end of that story, Mater left to meet up with the others for lunch, but they all returned ten minutes later.

"So... you ready to go tomorrow, Fudge?" Sally questioned.

The eleven-year-old girl beamed. "I can't _wait_ to get out of here!" she declared. "I can spend as much time as I want with you guys without you being kicked out and I can have some good food."

Everyone laughed.

"Now, remember, Fudgie", Luigi piped up as he packed some of Fudge's new things, "when we get back to the hotel, you are going to have to rest for a few days."

"Well, I'm not going to be able to do much anyway", Fudge mumbled, gesturing to her leg in a cast. She sounded depressed. That's because she was thinking of all of the things that she couldn't do with her broken leg. No riding her bike up to the Wheel Well or around Willy's Butte. No playing soccer or tag with the others. No swimming by the waterfall or water fights. Sigh. No _fun_.

"I know, baby." Luigi gave her a kiss. He felt sorry for her. Fudge was very energetic and not being able to move around too much was like torture for her. "I know it is going to be hard, but it is going to be okay. You can be strong. I know you can."

"We _all_ do", Sammy agreed, coming into the room with a cup of coffee. She moved over to the chairs, one of which had Fudge's backpack on it and she placed it on the floor to sit down and put her feet up again. "You've proven to the whole world that you can be strong and brave."

Fudge beamed with pride. "Well, at least I get out of tractor tipping with Mater for a while!"

That got them all laughing again.

That was when a nurse poked her head in.

"I'm afraid, for the last time, it's time for everyone to leave again", she announced with a small smile.

"Okay. We love you, Fudge." Everyone hugged and kissed her before rolling out of the room.

"Bye, you guys!" Fudge called cheerily.

"We'll see you at the _hotel_ tomorrow!"

"And we will take you there first thing in the morning", Luigi added.

The child grinned. "Okay!"

That night, she fell asleep with a smile on her face. There were no nightmares for her that night. She was far too excited. After being thrust on an international spy mission and having her time with her family restricted to the visiting hours of the hospital, she couldn't wait to have all of the time in the world with them again.


	32. Celebrate Good Times!

**I know S.v has been very excited for this part! And here it is! This chapter has the knighting ceremony in it, so I hope you guys enjoy that!**

 **Chapter 32- Celebrate Good Times!**

Fudge was wheeled out of the doors to the hospital to be met by blinding, golden sunlight... And Mater!

"Howdy, Fudge!" the tow truck greeted her enthusiastically. He was grinning from mirror to mirror with that contagious smile of his.

"Hi, Mater! What are _you_ doing here?"

"He is going to take you back to the hotel", Luigi explained. "Because you can't do it yourself on that leg."

Fudge nodded as she was helped into Mater's truck bed with her new crutches being placed in after her. "Okay!"

"I'm free, I'm free!" Fudge shouted happily as they drove through the streets of London. Several people stared at her (if not for her shouting, for the fact that she was still in her pyjamas), but she didn't care.

Luigi, Guido and Mater laughed.

"You are very happy today!" Luigi commented with a laugh.

"Yeah! Because I'm _free_!"

"You sure is glad to be out of the hospital", Mater remarked.

"Yep!"

"Well, we is glad to have you back."

"Thanks, Mater!"

* * *

If you thought that she was in a good mood then, you should've seen her when she arrived at the hotel. Lightning, Sally, Fillmore, Sarge, Sheriff, Ramone, Flo, Red, Finn, Holley and Sammy were all waiting outside for her when she arrived.

"Hi!" she yelled, giggling when she saw them all.

"Fudge!" They all rushed forward to greet her.

"I'm so glad to see you guys!" The eleven-year-old returned all of their hugs and kisses.

It wasn't long before Fudge was settled in to the hotel room on the large double bed. It wasn't Radiator Springs, but it was a lot more comfortable than the hospital.

"Are you comfortable?" Luigi questioned.

She nodded and Luigi kissed her.

"Okay. You get some rest."

"Okay."

"Yes", Finn piped up. "You and Mater have a big day coming up."

Fudge was puzzled. "We do?"

"Your ceremony!" Finn reminded her.

"Oh, yeah. I forgot about that."

"Well, you should get plenty of rest, so you're ready for your big day."

* * *

And so, she did. The next three days were spent relaxing in the hotel with ordering movies, reading, drawing on her cast (letting her family sign it, of course) and eating. However, on the night before her big day, Fudge did get to go out. She went with Luigi, Guido and Sammy to pick a dress and some accessories for the occasion. Now, Fudge doesn't normally like wearing dresses, but with the others insisting and how beautiful she found the dress chosen, she felt like she could make an exception just this once.

When that was done, she met up with the others (they didn't want anybody else to see her dress just yet) at a souvenir shop where she bought a dark blue London fleece jacket. (By the way, they discovered that all of Fudge's checked baggage made it back to Casa Della Tires since the address was on the label.) Next stop was a place, which Finn claimed had the best fish and chips they'd ever taste.

"This _is_ really good!" Fudge declared with a grin, trying some.

Sammy was also grinning. "Not as good as American fast food", she teased, "but not bad."

Finn chuckled.

"So, Mater, Fudge", Lightning began after a few minutes of content silence while everyone ate, "you excited for tomorrow?"

"You bet, buddy!" Mater replied. "I'm so excited!"

"What about you, Fudge?"

"Yeah, I guess..."

"What is it?"

"I'm kinda nervous", the eleven-year-old admitted.

"Nervous?" Lightning repeated. "What have you got to be nervous about?"

"I'm gonna be meeting the _Queen_!" Fudge reminded him. "In front of a lot of people!"

"Fudge, we've been over what you have to do", Lightning pointed out. And they had. Finn, who had seen multiple knighting ceremonies in his time, had explained it to the child, who asked a lot of questions and Finn answered them all patiently.

"But what if I mess it up?"

"What makes you think you're gonna mess it up?"

"Because... it's me."

"Fudge!" Lightning moved closer to her. "You don't always mess things up. You're gonna be great tomorrow. I _know_ you are! Know how I know? 'Cause you're my little sister and I know you're great!"

Fudge stared at Lightning, her face bright pink and she was unable to stop giggling in embarrassment. "Really?"

He nodded sincerely. "Absolutely."

"Yeah, he's right", everyone else agreed. "You're gonna be just fine tomorrow."

Their kind words refused to leave Fudge's head as she tried to sleep. But, unfortunately, so did potential worst case scenarios for what could happen the next day. What if she tripped over her crutches? What if she forgot to do something important while addressing the Queen? What if she ended up saying or doing something really stupid? (Fudge had a habit of getting these really stupid thoughts of what to say and do into her head that made no sense whatsoever. Then she would get really bad anxiety in fear of acting out on them.) What could she even _say_ to the Queen? Fudge was the most socially awkward person in the whole world, even around Average Joes. But this was the _Queen of England_ we were talking about! There was no way that she could do this! There was just no way!

* * *

"Are you ready, Fudge?" Luigi wanted to know the next morning.

Fudge shook her head. "No. And I don't think I ever _will_ be!"

"Please don't be nervous!" Luigi pleaded. "You are going to be just fine!"

"I don't know..."

Earlier that morning, once everyone else was gone (so, they didn't see Fudge's outfit just yet), the human girl had been freshly bathed and dressed in her new dress and accessories along with one shoe because she couldn't get the other one on over her cast. So, physically, she was ready to go. Emotionally, she wasn't so sure.

"Don't worry too much", Luigi instructed her gently. "Guido and I will be right there with you the whole time." The two of them were gonna walk beside her since she was afraid of falling over on her crutches. "Just take it one step at a time, okay?"

"I can do that", Fudge replied, though not as confidently as Luigi would've wanted.

"I know you can." He gave her a kiss. "Now, let's go. We can't be late."

When Fudge got to Buckingham Palace, Finn, Holley, Sammy and the rest of the RS gang were gathered in a large room. Mater and Lightning were outside and turned to look when the eleven-year-old came hobbling up on her crutches. And they gasped.

"Fudge!" Mater exclaimed. "Ya look like a princess!"

"Wow!" Lightning added. "You look _beautiful_!"

Fudge blushed. Even she had to admit that, cast and crutches aside, this was the best she'd looked in a long time. Probably in her whole _life_. Her dress was made of silk and was the most beautiful shade of bright blue. Her shoe was a shiny party shoe of the same shade as her dress that she wore with a lacy white sock. It was obvious that her hair had been washed and even looked shiny with a white rose pinned to one side of her head.

"Thanks!"

"Really!" Lightning insisted. "You look beautiful!"

While they waited to go in, Mater decided to try and get the guard to move by making the funniest, most obnoxious faces that he could. They worked in getting Fudge to laugh, but not the guard.

"Mater, let's go!" Lightning stopped him finally, looking amused. "You're on."

"It is okay, Fudge!" Luigi whispered. "You will be fine!"

"All right... Let's do this!" she whispered nervously.

This was it. Mater and Lightning went through the double doors and Fudge had no choice but to follow. Her eyes widened at the sight of the room. It was beautiful, elegant and not to mention frickin' _huge_! There were hundreds of cars and humans in there! This was not helping the child's nerves, but there was no turning back now. And knowing that her fathers were both by her side was enough reassurance for her to keep going.

The rest of the cars from Radiator Springs and the agents had all turned to see the five of them coming. Their jaws dropped at the sight of Fudge. This was the first time they'd seen the dress at all, let alone _on_ her. They, too, thought that she looked gorgeous.

"Your Majesty", a car at the front of the room announced, "may I present for the investiture of honorary knighthood of the British Realm, Tow Mater and Brittney Rossi-Topolino of Radiator Springs."

 _Wow!_ Fudge thought to herself, impressed. _He even makes_ Radiator Springs _sound fancy._

"Go get 'em, guys!" Lightning whispered as he, Guido and Luigi rolled off to join the others.

"We love you, Fudge!" Luigi and Guido added in both English and Italian, kissing their excited, but nervous daughter. "Don't worry. You will be fine."

Fudge was still anxious, but determined to make her family proud. She turned around to smile at them. They were all there. Her family. Her new friends. She could even swear that she saw Doc there, smiling proudly just like the rest of them. Fudge bowed as best as she could on her crutches while Mater did the same beside her. The Queen raised her antenna and tapped Mater on each side lightly and did the same to each of Fudge's shoulders in turn.

"I hereby dub thee Sir Tow Mater and Lady Brittney Rossi-Topolino", the Queen proclaimed, prompting cheers from the crowd.

Fudge's face was bright pink and she giggled as she spoke. "Thank you, Your Majesty."

" _Sir_?" Mater echoed, sounding pleasantly surprised. "Shoot, you can just call me Mater, Your Majesty. I don't wanna hear none of this 'sir' business."

"And I'm just Fudge", the human beside him added.

"Not anymore, you're not", Finn piped up as he came over with Lightning. "I don't think you'll ever be 'Just Fudge' ever again!"

"He's right!" Sammy put in, grinning. "You two are Sir Mater and Lady Fudge from now until the end of time!"

Her fellow human just laughed.

"By the way", Mater jumped in, "have y'all met each other?" He made the introductions. "Queen, McQueen, McQueen, the Queen. McQueen, McMissile, McMissile, McQueen. The Queen, McMissile."

Fudge was confused, but she laughed.

All of a sudden, she felt herself being hugged from behind. Fudge smiled and turned to find Luigi and Guido there. They both kissed her.

"We are both so proud of you!" Luigi informed their daughter. "We love you!"

"(Yes. We love you so much!)" Guido added.

Fudge hugged them back. "(I love you both too!)"

Fudge was relieved that the ceremony had gone without incident. After that, there was tea, which also went smoothly. Strangers came up to Mater and Fudge to compliment them on their bravery, to which they replied with a modest, "Thank you" every time. Though the human girl couldn't help blushing every time. It was a crazy feeling, having all of these people know who she was and what she'd done. Not as crazy as what she'd actually done. Being mistaken for a spy and saving the world! She still couldn't believe it!

* * *

Like everyone else, Fudge was sorry to see the ceremony come to an end. However, there was one treat left for the day. Finn had reserved an entire private room in his favourite restaurant in all of London. Once they'd all ordered and they had been served with their drinks, Finn had pushed his glass forward.

"I would like to propose a toast", he began. "To Mater and Fudge. When I first met these two, I thought that they were two of the most brilliant spies I had ever met. Well, I was only half right. They may not have been spies, but they _are_ two of the most brilliant people I've ever met."

Everyone clinked their glasses. "To Mater and Fudge!"

The two of them looked embarrassed, but were both secretly loving the attention.

"And I would like to propose a toast to friendship", Finn went on. "Now, I may have said friendships can be dangerous, but even so, I am glad to have found friendship in all of you. Perhaps this isn't at all how I imagined this mission ended up, but I wouldn't have had it any other way." Well, actually, that wasn't true. He would have changed one thing. His partner, Leland Turbo, had been killed on the oil platform. Finn wished that he had survived, but he didn't believe that it was the right time to bring that up.

Fudge smiled at Finn's words. This wasn't how she imagined the World Grand Prix trip going either. Had it been exciting? You bet. Had it been unforgettable? Without a doubt. Had it been fun? Well... She wasn't sure of that at the time, but now, looking back on the experience, it _had_ been fun. Crazy adventures she'd never even dreamed of, a stalker who turned out to be concerned for her wellbeing, unique new friends, honourary knighthood. It was without a doubt the most insane thing she'd ever done and she was glad she'd done it.

"Hear, hear!" Lightning shouted, trying to make himself heard. "Friendship is one of the most important things in the world." He glanced around at the cars and human from Radiator Springs. "Five years ago, I found that out." Then Lightning kept his eyes focused directly on Mater. "A few days ago, I lost sight of that. And I'm sorry. I'm never going to make that mistake again. I'm glad you could forgive me, Mater. And I'm so proud of what you and Fudge have done."

Mater beamed. So did Fudge.

"To friendship!" Finn repeated.

"To friendship!" Fudge joined everyone in exclaiming as they all clinked their glasses once more.

 **I'm not entirely sure what the female equivalent of _sir_ is, but a few other people on this site have used _lady_ , so I'm just gonna go with that.**

 **Okay! So, there's one more original chapter, which I'll post tomorrow, and then the end of the movie, which I'll post the day after. So, I hope you'll enjoy those! And this one, of course! Please review.**


	33. There's No Place Like Home!

**Chapter 33- There's No Place Like Home!**

"Well, that was fun!" Fudge declared, rising to her feet (well, her foot).

"Come, Fudge!" Luigi called from his spot in the line. "They are boarding!"

"And we get on quicker with your leg!" Lightning added. (Her crutches meant that they got boarding priority.)

"I know, I know!"

It was two days after Mater and Fudge's knighting ceremony. They'd spent the last two days being shown around the city of London, Finn's hometown. They saw so many amazing sights and, for once, it felt like the relaxing, enjoyable trip that they'd all been expecting. And after everything that had happened, it felt wonderful.

Unfortunately, however, all good things must come to an end. It was nine o'clock at night and the cars from Radiator Springs were at Heathrow Airport, saying their goodbyes to the agents and getting ready to board the plane.

"You bet it's been fun!" Sammy agreed. She pulled Fudge in for a hug. "Fudge, we may not have gotten off on the right foot, but even so, I am glad to have met you."

The eleven-year-old smiled. "Thanks... I'm glad to have met you too."

"And so am I", Finn piped up, coming over after finishing his goodbyes with Mater. "Thank you, Fudge. We couldn't have solved this mission without you and Mater. I've said it before and I'll say it again. You really are the most courageous eleven-year-old I've ever met."

The human girl was blushing again. "Thanks..."

"And, again, I am so sorry I got you into this", Finn repeated.

"It's okay, Finn!" Fudge assured him. "And actually... I wanna thank you."

Confusion took over the British spy's face. "For what?"

"When you thought I was a spy _and_ when you knew I wasn't, you believed in me more than I believed in myself... Thank you."

"My pleasure... Now, you take care of yourself, all right?" He gave Fudge a big hug, which she returned.

"I will", Fudge promised.

Meanwhile, Mater was saying goodbye to Holley.

"Will I ever see ya again?" he asked worriedly.

The magenta sports car sighed. "I don't know", she replied honestly. "I hope so."

"Yeah... Me too..."

"When are _you_ going back to America?" Fudge quizzed Sammy as Mater and Holley came over to say goodbye.

"Actually", Sammy replied, "I'm gonna stay here in England for a while. I got offered a job, working with Finn and Holley."

"And yer gonna take it?" Mater questioned.

"Damn right I am!" Sammy laughed.

"Congratulations!" Fudge cried sincerely.

"Thanks!" Then the older human's expression became serious and her voice grew softer. "I know Finn and Holley aren't Rod. But they're all right, you know, for a couple of _Brits_ ", she added, chuckling before being serious once again. "Besides, I know I can't be Leland for Finn either." Finn had told the others about his friend, Leland Turbo's fate. "Still, I really think I'm gonna like working with them."

Fudge nodded. "I'm sure you will... Well, good luck with all of that!"

"Thanks, Fudge. Good luck to you and Mater too."

"Yes", Finn chimed in, looking around at the entire RS gang. "We wish you all the very best of luck."

"Mater, Fudge, come on!" Lightning shouted.

Fudge looked back at Finn and Sammy. "I gotta go."

Finn looked her straight in the eyes. "Goodbye, Fudge. I will never forget you."

"I'll never forget you either, Finn. Or you, Sammy."

Reluctantly, Mater and Fudge pulled away from their new friends and joined their old friends in the line to board the plane. Sure, they couldn't wait to return home, but they were gonna miss their new friends. Neither of them were able to stop wondering whether or not they'd ever see Finn, Holley and Sammy again. They both hoped so, but wasn't sure if it would ever happen. Still, they never planned on meeting them in the first place, so you never know.

* * *

Fudge slept all the way back to the United States. The others didn't want to wake her up, so Guido placed her in Mater's truck bed when they were getting off the plane and he drove her back to Radiator Springs (which he was going to do anyway since she couldn't walk). Then when they returned home, Guido carried his sleeping daughter back to Casa Della Tires and lay her down in her bed...

And Fudge couldn't help but smile when she awoke to find herself back at home in her room where she belonged. If only she woke up there right after she'd been kidnapped by the Lemons. Still, at least she was home now. Her crutches had been left on the floor right where she could reach them. Her bags were right in front of her closet and she found her backpack at the end of her bed. Fudge reached for the backpack and zipped it open. There was her camera (she'd need to get those photos developed), her new clothes (the dress and the jacket she bought), the clothes she'd been wearing through the entire mission (those were in serious need of a wash). The only part of her outfit still missing were her socks and shoes. She'd lost her shoes when trying to flee the Lemons and throwing the shoes at them. And it became harder to run in just socks, so she'd ditched those too and spent from then until she came out of hospital bare foot. Anyway, back to her search through her backpack... What was that?

Fudge unearthed something small from the very bottom of the backpack. When she saw what it was, she couldn't believe it. It was the _tracking device_! What was _that_ doing in there? The flashing red light was gone, meaning that it had been switched off and she didn't have to worry about anybody finding her. So, Fudge knew the perfect place for it.

After rubbing the bandage she'd received from removing the tracking device, Fudge grabbed her crutches and made her way over to her chest of drawers. Resting on top of them was her memory box. She opened it up and peered inside. There were toys, journals, pit passes... And now, a tracking device. Fudge let it slip from her fingers and tumble into the box along with her many other memories.

* * *

"Can I look yet? Can I look yet?"

Lightning chuckled. "Not yet."

Sheriff laughed too. "Mater, we'll _tell_ you when you can look."

"Are we nearly there?" Fudge wanted to know.

"(You will find out soon)", Guido replied.

It had been a week since the townsfolk had returned from the World Grand Prix trip and things seemed to be returning to normal. Except for one thing. Most of the town's residents (mostly Ramone, but the others too) had been disappearing for hours on end. Mater and Fudge had no idea what they were doing. However, things got even more strange when they insisted that Fudge had a sleepover at Mater's the night before. And in the morning, when they arrived at Flo's (Fudge still in her pyjamas, having not packed a change of clothes), the only ones there were Flo, Lightning, Guido and Sheriff.

"Where's everyone else?" Fudge had questioned, sitting down in a nearby chair. Normally when they were all gathered at Flo's, she'd sit cross-legged on the floor in front of her fathers, but that was out of the question with her broken leg and so, the others had brought over a chair for her.

No answer.

"Where's everyone else?" Fudge repeated.

"They'll be here soon", Flo responded, handing the eleven-year-old her breakfast. The same breakfast she'd been receiving all week. Chocolate chip pancakes with strawberries and ice cream. That was a favourite of Fudge's, but Flo only ever made it for her on special occasions (like her birthday or if she'd been upset a lot lately) and the former show car insisted that having saved the world was definitely a special occasion.

Well, _that_ didn't answer her question, but it was pretty obvious that she wasn't gonna get one, so Fudge just started eating.

And it wasn't until she was finished eating that Luigi came racing up to the café, announcing that it was ready.

"What's ready?" Fudge wanted to know.

"You will see", Luigi informed her with a smile. "Guido?"

Guido pulled out two pieces of black cloth, one small and one much larger. He was quick to tie the smaller one around Fudge's head, hiding her eyes. Then he did the same to Mater.

"What is you doin'?" Mater asked.

"Come on, buddy!" Lightning attached himself to Mater's tow hook and pulled him along. "We got a surprise for you!"

"And for you, Fudge!" Luigi added, scooping his daughter onto his hood while Guido grabbed her crutches. (Fudge had to wear her magnetic belt, gloves, shoulder and knee pads now more than ever!)

"What is it?" Fudge questioned.

Lightning chuckled. "If we _tell_ you, it won't be a surprise, will it, Fudge-O?"

With Sheriff leading the way, they rolled out of town, Mater and Fudge still unable to see. They didn't even know where they were. But they could hear multiple voices, which they had no trouble identifying.

"You think it's good enough?" Ramone quizzed worriedly.

"Of course!" was the collective response.

"Yeah, it's perfect, man", Fillmore added.

"They're gonna love it!" Sarge declared.

" _I_ love it!" Sally voiced her opinion.

"Uh... We're here", Lightning announced.

"Hey, guys!" they all greeted the newcomers.

"You ready for your surprise?" Sheriff questioned Mater and Fudge.

"Yeah!" they both cried.

"All right. You can take your blindfolds off... _now_!"

And when they did, they couldn't believe what they saw!

Ramone had changed the sign outside of Radiator Springs. Originally, it read: WELCOME TO RADIATOR SPRINGS HOME OF LIGHTNING MCQUEEN, followed by a picture of the race car. Now, it read: WELCOME TO RADIATOR SPRINGS HOME OF LIGHTNING MCQUEEN, SIR TOW MATER AND LADY FUDGE ROSSI-TOPOLINO. And, of course, Ramone had added pictures of Mater and Fudge.

"Dad-gum!" Mater exclaimed, impressed.

Fudge was speechless. She kept giggling as she'd done during her entire knighting ceremony. She stared at the picture of herself. In it, she was wearing the exact same clothes she'd been wearing throughout the whole mission: denim jacket, white shirt with blue stripes, jeans and turquoise and lavender running shoes. She was stood with her arms out wide and had a big smile on her face as well as an appearance of shining eyes.

Trying to suppress her giggles, she finally managed to get out the words, "Ramone! This is _awesome_! How did you _do_ this?!"

"Eh, it was nothin', really", Ramone answered modestly. "I just used two different photos of you I got from your camera. This one and this one." He showed her. There was one photo of her with her arms spread out as she stood in the streets of Paris with a rather nervous smile as she tried to hide her fear of the situation. The second photo showed her at her knighting ceremony. She was sat down at a table inside Buckingham Palace with the same smile she had in the painting.

"Wow!" Fudge exclaimed. She looked just like she did in the two photos. Ramone was so talented!

"Only thing is", Ramone continued, "I don't think I got your smile right."

Fudge looked back and forth between the photo of her in London and the painting Ramone had done. "It looks right to me."

Ramone shook his hood. "I don't think I could ever capture the beauty of your smile, Fudge."

"He is right", Luigi agreed. "You have the most beautiful smile, Fudgie. Ramone is a very good artist, but I don't think he is _that_ good."

The others all agreed. Now, the child was _really_ embarrassed.

* * *

"You know what I just realised?" Fudge began, talking to her fathers once they were back home.

The two Italian vehicles shifted their attention away from the tyre display they were working on and looked at their daughter. "What?"

"You guys never punished me."

"What are you talking about?" Luigi questioned, puzzled.

"Remember in Tokyo? I ran off and you said I had to be punished?"

Luigi and Guido smiled. Most kids would be thrilled that their parents had forgotten, but _their_ daughter was much too honest for that.

"I don't think that is necessary anymore, Fudge", Luigi informed her, giving her a kiss. "The most important thing is that you are okay. Besides, you are going to be bored enough with your broken leg."

"Okay", Fudge agreed.

"You are so cute to remind us about that", Luigi went on. "What did we do to deserve you?"

That was something that her fathers and the rest of her family often said to Fudge, always pointing out how lucky they were to have her. But that didn't make any sense to her. _She_ was the one who was lucky to have _them_.

* * *

"All right, Fudge-O", Lightning announced as he finished up what he was doing. "I think that's it!"

"Yay!" she cheered. "Thanks, Lightning!"

"No problem. Now." He held up two Wii remotes. "What do you say we have a game?"

Fudge lit up. "Okay!"

"I think there are a few games you can play sitting down. So..."

"I won! I won!" Fudge cheered a few hours later.

"What?!" Lightning exclaimed. "How could _I_ have lost at a _racing_ game?!"

"Because you suck!" the human girl teased.

Lightning threw a pillow at her, making her laugh.

"Hey, buddy!" Mater shouted as he came into the room.

"Hey, Mater!" Fudge and Lightning greeted him in unison.

"I was lookin' all over fer ya and Miss Sally done said you was here and you was!"

Lightning grinned. "Yep. Here I am."

"What is you doin'?"

"We're playing with Fudge's new Wii! Wanna play with us?"

Mater lit up as he took the extra remote from his best friend. "All right!"

So, Lightning McQueen, Sir Tow Mater and Lady Brittney "Fudge" Rossi-Topolino played on the Wii all afternoon, shouting and laughing. And it was in this moment that, for the first time in a long time, everything felt normal.

 **So, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Next one's the last one.**


	34. Radiator Springs Grand Prix

**Well, here we are! The final chapter of** ** _When Life Gives You Lemons_** **! I'M NOT CRYING,** ** _YOU'RE_** **CRYING! But don't worry! I've also posted the very first chapter of** ** _Ride_** **today as well in honour of Fudge's birthday! (I mentioned in the first chapter that, although mine isn't, Fudge's birthday is June sixteenth).**

 **So,** **with that all said and done, please enjoy the finale of** ** _When Life Gives You Lemons_** **!**

 **Chapter 34- Radiator Springs Grand Prix**

After about a month, things really seemed to have almost completely gone back to normal. There were a few things that were different, though. One of them, however, was temporary and that was Fudge wearing a cast and being on crutches. Occasionally, she complained that the crutches made her arms sore or that her cast itched, maybe that she was bored or simply that her leg hurt. Plus, for an energetic little human girl like Fudge, not being able to move much was a next to impossible task. Still, most of the time she was good and kind of enjoyed having a broken leg.

The other problem with Fudge was that every now and then, she still had nightmares about the whole ordeal and seemed kind of shaken up about it. She never entirely got over the fear of having her entire family killed, but, for the most part at least, she seemed to be doing okay.

The other major difference was Mater and the rest of the townsfolk had no idea whether this was gonna be temporary or permanent. He was so excited about his adventure that he was going around, telling anyone and everyone. This was a little bit of a concern for the residents, considering the real story was outlandish enough to begin with, but the tow truck had the tendency to exaggerate.

And that's exactly what he was doing on the day of the Radiator Springs Grand Prix, a friendly race Lightning had organised for the World Grand Prix competitors. The WGP was never officially finished (in fact, they weren't even sure what the other racers were doing while the bomb scare was going on), so everyone agreed that it was a good idea to have the race. Now, they were all gathered at Flo's and Fudge had put on her cheerleading outfit again to support her favourite race car in the competition.

"So, there we was!" Mater recounted the story to the townsfolk and tourists at Flo's on this particular day. "My rocket jets goin' full blast! McQueen hangin' on for dear life when suddenly, them two nasty Lemons come out of nowhere, guns drawed. We was goners! But then, out of nowhere, Fudge here on her hover board-" He gestured to her.

Fudge raised a hand in greeting. "Hi."

"-and this _beautiful_ spy car swoop in from the sky to save us!" Mater concluded.

"That's a very entertaining story, young man", Minny, the lavender minivan, commented.

"Oh, Minny, _please_!" her husband, a green minivan named Van, scoffed. "Come on! None of this _happened_! Rocket jets, hover boards, flying spy cars!"

"No, you're quite right!" a new voice piped up. "It _does_ sound a bit far-fetched!"

"Mater! Are you telling crazy stories _again_?!" someone else added, laughing. "I've heard you have quite the habit of doing that!"

Everyone was stunned to see Holley with her wings out and lowering herself down to the ground in the middle of the road while Sammy did the same on her hover board.

"Holley! What are you doin' here?!" Mater greeted her happily, rushing forward to her.

And the feeling was mutual. "Hello, Mater!" Holley answered. "It's so good to see you again!"

"Hi, Holley, Hi, Sammy!" Fudge shouted.

"Fudge!" Holley exclaimed. "How _are_ you?!"

"I'm a lot better!" the eleven-year-old assured her, rising to her foot and grabbing her crutches.

"Hey, Fudge!" Sammy giggled. "Why don't _I_ come to _you_?" So, she did and gave her a hug. "Wow! I really missed you! You doing okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine!"

"What?" came a new voice. "No hello for me?"

Mater's eyes widened when he saw who the speaker was. "Finn!"

"Hi, Finn!" Fudge cried happily, trying to get to the Faultless GT for a hug, which he was more than happy to give her.

"Our satellites picked up an urgent communique", Finn explained.

"Ah! So, you got my email!" Luigi realised. Fudge had no idea, but he'd sent the spies an email to let them know how Fudge was going and to see if they were interested in attending the Radiator Springs Grand Prix.

Sammy looked around. "So, this is Radiator Springs. It's nice."

"Oh, man! Y'all is gonna have a great time!" Mater declared before turning to the crowd to make the introductions. "Everybody! This here is Finn McMissile and Sammy Rose! They is secret agents! Don't tell nobody!"

"I think, I _think_ , our cover's just been blown!" Sammy whispered to Finn with a laugh, but Finn didn't seem to mind.

And Mater had one last introduction to make. "This is Holley Shiftwell. She's-"

"I'm Mater's girlfriend!" the sports car finished before Mater could. "It's _so_ nice to meet you all!"

Needless to say, everyone was shocked by this announcement. But none more than Guido, it seemed. His eyes widened, his jaw dropped and there was a loud, clattering sound as his forks hit the ground.

"Guido believe you now!" Luigi informed Mater, referring to the forklift's scepticism of Mater having a girlfriend in Tokyo.

Fudge smiled and gave the tow truck a thumbs-up.

"Whoa! Honey!" Flo exclaimed, noticing something on Holley's back fender. "You got a nasty dent there!"

"Yeah..."

"Was that from when you swooped in and you saved them in London?" Van wanted to know, now seemingly convinced that Mater's story was real.

"Van!" Minny admonished her husband.

"What?" he cried defensively. "I'm just asking!"

"Don't you worry, sweet pea", Flo told her. "My baby, Ramone can get that fixed up for you in no time."

"Yeah, sure thing, man. No problemo." He started to drive off back to his shop. "Just let me go get my tools..."

"Oh, no, no, no!" Holley declined politely. "I'm keeping that dent. It's way too valuable." She cast a glance at Mater, who smiled at her.

"A valuable _dent_?" Lizzie asked. "Oh, she's as crazy as Mater."

"Oh, those two are perfect for each other", Mack remarked.

"Yeah", Fudge agreed. Mater and Holley may have been as different as night and day, but there was no doubt about it even in a child's mind. They _were_ perfect for each other.

"You know, there's one thing I still don't get", Lightning announced. "The bad guys hit _me_ with the beam from the camera, right? So, why didn't I... you know..."

"Explode in a fiery inferno?" Mater supplied the words that Lightning had wanted to avoid.

"Yeah."

"I'm just glad you _didn't_!" Fudge voiced her opinion, hugging the race car.

"Me too", he agreed, "but I still wanna know why it didn't happen."

"Well, we couldn't figure that one out either", Finn admitted.

Holley nodded. "Our investigation proved that Allinol was actually gasoline. And Axlerod engineered it so that when it got hit by the beam, it would explode."

Then Lightning thought of something else. "Wait a second, Fillmore. You said my fuel was safe."

Everyone turned to stare at Fillmore, clearly demanding an explanation.

"If you're implying that I switched out that rot-gut excuse for alternative fuel with _my_ all-natural, sustainable, organic biofuel, just because I never trusted Axlerod, you're dead wrong, man. It was him." He gestured to Sarge.

"Once 'big oil', always 'big oil'... man", Sarge declared, glancing around uncomfortably.

"Tree hugger", Fillmore shot back teasingly.

"Wished we'd known that", Sammy grumbled. "Would've saved us a whole lot of worry."

Fudge shrugged. "Oh, well. Like I said, the most important thing is that everyone's all right."

"I guess."

"But you know what else _I_ don't get?" Fudge added.

"What?" Luigi asked.

"How did Axlerod turn that tracking device off?"

There was a pause. Clearly, nobody knew the answer to that question.

"Oh, well. We got the b***ard before anyone got seriously hurt, thanks to Mater and Fudge, of course, and that's what counts", Sammy reinforced Fudge's view.

"That's right", Finn agreed. "And he won't be going anywhere anytime soon."

* * *

Before long, Sheriff was leading the line of race cars down Main Street to the starting line of the Radiator Springs Grand Prix.

"Man, I can't wait to get rockin'!" Lewis Hamilton commented to Jeff Gorvette beside him. "This is gonna be wicked!"

"Yeah!" Jeff agreed. "We should do this every year!"

And Lightning was finally able to introduce Francesco to his beautiful girlfriend, Sally. It seemed that he was over his jealousy and it could even be said that he and Francesco were on the road to becoming friends. The Italian formula car even admitted to liking how the competition was no press, no trophies, just racing. Though, they did still tease each other. Like how Lightning had a new sticker, reading, _Ka-ciao, Francesco_.

Meanwhile, the rest of the town was gathered near Willy's Butte for the race. Mater, who gave Fudge a ride (while Guido carried a chair for her), had a goofy smile on his face.

"You seem happy", the human girl observed, though it was blatantly obvious.

"I done got me a girlfriend!" Mater announced ecstatically. "Holley done said it herself! Ain't that so dad-gum amazin'?!"

"Yeah... She's very lucky to have you."

Mater smiled broadly. "Thanks, Fudge."

* * *

It wasn't long before the race cars came zooming past, sending dust flying up, but it didn't bother the RS gang due to their position above the track. They all cheered like crazy for Lightning McQueen as he sped off, fighting Francesco for the lead. And, as usual, Fudge gazed at the racers dreamily, wishing she could go as fast as them (though, McQueen took her for laps every now and then, which he promised to do again when her leg was fully healed). Everyone was having a great time. Until...

Beep, beep, beep!

"Finn, Sammy, time to go", Holley reported. "Siddeley's gassed, geared and ready to fly."

Fudge and Mater turned to the three spies, unable to hide their disappointment. "You're leavin' already?"

"We've got another mission, Mater", Finn explained. "Just stopped by here to pick something up."

"Somethin' tells me you're not talkin' about souvenir bumper stickers."

"Why, yes, Mater!" Sammy teased. "How did you _know_?!"

"Her Majesty asked for you personally, Mater", Finn informed him before turning to the human girl beside him ruefully. "We would've asked for you too, Fudge, but you're too young at the moment."

"But hey!" Sammy chimed in. "Something to think about when you're older. CHROME could really use someone like you."

"Yeah, I'll think about that", Fudge agreed with a nod when, in reality, she was thinking, _Not_ _a_ _chance_. After the whole mission, as fun as she thought it was and as much as she hoped to see Finn, Holley and Sammy again, there was no way that she was ever gonna do that to herself again. If she could, that is. She never expected it to happen in the first place. "I've never really thought about being a spy."

"Well, neither had I till I started", Sammy admitted. "There was this really complicated illegal activity going on at my college, which I won't bore you with the details of now, and I started investigating. And that's how I met Rod. Bad news was my investigating got me kicked out of college, good news was Rod was impressed with my skills and asked me if I was interested in becoming his partner. Of course, I accepted and I haven't looked back." She looked to Mater. "There's no reason why that can't be you, Mater."

"But I told y'all before", Mater protested, "I'm not a spy."

"We know", Holley replied.

Finn gave him a genuine smile. "Spy or not, you're still the smartest, most honest chap we've ever met."

"Don't forget massively charming", Holley put in.

"And insanely brave and heroic", Sammy added, putting her arm around Fudge to show that she wasn't just talking about Mater, causing the child to feel embarrassed.

"Well, thanks", Mater responded modestly. He turned to the human girl beside him. "Whaddaya think, Fudge?"

"I'd miss you if you did", she answered, "but it _is_ _your_ decision."

"I'd miss ya too..." He looked back at Finn, Holley and Sammy and gave them his decision. "Well, as much fun as it was, hangin' out with y'all, this..." He turned to look at the other townsfolk, cheering excitedly and then at his little sister, who was smiling at him. "This is home."

Fudge's smile widened as she remembered when Guido comforted her while she was in the hospital. Home wasn't a place; it was people. She knew that Mater had just realised the same thing.

"That's all right", Holley assured him. "We understand, but I'll be back. You still owe me that first date."

"And if you ever change your mind, our offer still stands", Sammy told him.

"That's right", Finn agreed, nodding. "And if there's _ever_ anything I can do for you, _either_ of you", he added, glancing at Fudge, "just let me know."

"Well, I sure appreciate that", Mater replied. "Thank you..." There was a pause as a grin spread across his face. "Actually, there _is_ one thing..."

Fudge groaned. "Uh-oh..."

* * *

So, one favour later, Finn, Holley and Sammy said goodbye to the rest of the townsfolk and left in Siddeley on their way to their next mission. Fudge gazed up at the sky, watching as Siddeley took off, wondering when she would see her spy friends again. She hoped it would be sometime soon.

And it wasn't long before the sound of someone shouting with glee rang out through the town of Radiator Springs. It was one rusty, dented tow truck by the name of Tow Mater. He picked up Otis, who had broken down (again), at rocket speed and dropped him off at Ramone's just as fast. Then he practically flew across the racetrack, overtaking all of the racers to be level with his best friend, Lightning McQueen...

...Who was evidently surprised to see him. "Mater?!"

"Hey! Check it out!" Mater announced. "They let me keep the rockets!"

"I'll see you at the finish line, buddy!" Lightning gunned forward.

"Not if I see you first!" Mater hollered, chasing after him.

And so, the two best friends- and hometown favourites- raced each other around the track, leaving the other racers far behind in the dust.

* * *

Meanwhile, Siddeley was soaring high above Radiator Springs, flying over the small town and Route 66. Inside, Finn, Holley and Sammy got down to business.

"Miss Shiftwell? What is our mission?" Finn questioned.

Holley brought up the information on her computer. "It appears that a group of cars in-"

They were interrupted by a series of rapid beeps.

"Someone's trying to contact us!" Sammy announced.

"Maybe it's the director", Finn guessed.

"I got it!" Sammy answered to the beeps. "Sup?"

"Hi, Sammy!" the voice on the other end responded.

"It's Fudge!" the human agent reported. "What's up, Fudge?"

"You have my pen!" the eleven-year-old accused.

"Yeah, I do."

"Well, I want it back."

"You can have it back once you're off your crutches", Sammy promised her.

"No fair!" Fudge whined.

"It _is_ fair! We don't want you getting hurt by using it when you can't walk."

"But _Sammy_ -"

"Nope."

"Why do you care so much about getting a _pen_ back, Fudge?" Luigi wanted to know, his voice coming through the radio. "And how could you get hurt by using it?"

Fudge didn't answer. Instead, she started to laugh. So did Sammy.

 **The End**

 ***Cue** ** _Cars 2_** **end credits as "Collision of Worlds plays***

 **Yeah... I know how Axlerod turned off the tracking device should've been explained, but I kinda like the idea of leaving in a mystery that never gets solved. What's that I hear you say? I was too lazy to figure it out? Yeah, well, that too! XD**

 **Now, to reveal the Easter Eggs:**

 **A113 should be kinda obvious in this story. It was the code for Axlerod's tracking device and the RS gang's flight number when flying from Radiator Springs to London.**

 **The London hotel room 624 is a reference to June 24th, the official release date of _Cars 2_.**

 **Fudge was in room 715 at the hospital, which was a reference to July 15th, the day I saw _Cars 2_ at the movies back in 2011 (and _Cars 3_ for the fourth time in 2017! I saw _Cars 3_ at the movies five times!)**

* * *

 **Wow! I can't believe this is over! It has been an awesome experience and would like to thank each and every reviewer/favourite-er/follower/just plain reader of this story! When I first started writing this story, I had no idea it would get this many reviews, favourites and follows (over 100 reviews! That's _AMAZING_!** **)! So, thank you guys so much! You are all awesome and I appreciate you so much!**

 **And this won't be the last you'll see of me on FFN! I still have _Ride_ and _Run That Race_. Those stories focus more on Fudge and Lightning'** **s relationship and the latter focuses on Fudge's relationship with Cruz Ramirez as well (when I say _relationship_ , I don't mean romantic). So, if you're interested, you can go on over and check _Ride_ out right now! So, I hope you enjoy that as well as this one. Though, I have to warn you, it's gonna be a pretty sad story.**

 **So, for the last time for this story, thank you and goodbye! *Takes bow and walks off***


End file.
